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NASCAR WCUP: Park's Pocono Like Children's Fable: Steady Run Earns Him 8th Place Finish

26 July 1999

Remember the story "The Tortoise and the Hare?"

In the children's fable, the pair staged a race that saw the slow, but
consistent tortoise outdistance the fast-starting rabbit.  

At Pocono on Sunday, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series staged its own version of
the fable with #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park making like the old
tortoise whose steady pace triumphs in the end.

"We just kind of hung around and hung around all day and we were up there at
the end," said Park as he celebrated an eighth-place finish - the second
best of his 40-race career.

Park used a combination of steady driving, quick pit stops, and proficient
fuel strategy to walk out of the Pennsylvania tri-oval with the top finish
while other drivers and teams that had dominated throughout most of the 3
1/2-hour race didn't leave as satisfied.

"We'll take them anyway we can get them," said Crew Chief Paul Andrews,
whose pit strategy allowed Park to remain on the track during the final
round of pit stops while other leaders were forced to pit and not regain the
track position.

Park began Sunday's race in 32nd position and moved up through the field. By
the halfway mark Park climbed to 15th place as he and most drivers wrestled
with cars that didn't want to turn in the tight corners of the flat track.  

With 45 laps left in the race, Andrews decided gamble and call Park into the
pits for four tires and fuel. The hope was that Park could stretch his fuel
mileage a few extra laps and go to the end the race without a fuel stop. 

Cautions prevented the race from going green those last 45 laps. But, as the
cautions played out, Park returned to the pits for a quick gas-and-go pit
stop while others were taking on tires and fuel. But the true advantage came
with less than 30 laps to go when Park remained on the track while others
pitted and when the race resumed he led laps 162-167. 

 "The windshield is a hell of a lot clearer when you're running out front
and you don't have all those cars clogging your vision," laughed Park. "I
could get used to that." 


Park battled with the leaders, but their fresher tires allowed them to get
by and Park hung on for a eighth place finishing ahead of his boss Dale
Earnhardt, Mike Skinner and a few others who had been faster during the
race. 

"Part of racing is strategy and we had some great strategy today," Park
said. "When we get that strategy combined with the type of race car I know
we can build then we are going to be some kind of tough."

Park said the eighth place finish combined with the 12th place finish at New
Hampshire two weeks ago is a sign things are headed in the right direction
for his young team.

"People see that Dale Earnhardt's name is on our logo and think that we have
as much experience and expertise as he does," Park said. "We are a
second-year team still getting its legs. As we gain more experience I think
you will see even better runs."

Bobby Labonte won the race and was followed across the finish line by Dale
Jarrett and Mark Martin. 

Park and teammates will enjoy an off weekend before traveling to
Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. 

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