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NASCAR WCUP: Park Faster Than Those Involved in Bristol Last Lap Controversy

30 August 1999

Park Faster Than Those Involved in Bristol Last Lap Controversy 
Charge From The Back Ended After Suffering Radiator Damage In Others
Accident

Bristol wouldn't be Bristol if somebody wasn't mad and somebody wasn't
frustrated.

Terry Labonte was mad Saturday night after he and Dale Earnhardt tangled in
the final lap costing Labonte the victory and giving the 7-time Winston Cup
champion his 73rd career victory. Steve Park was frustrated because he was
faster than both of them were and didn't get a chance at the end.

Park's hopes for participating in the last lap melee ended about
three-quarters through the race when repairs for a broken radiator kept him
in the pits for about 30 laps.

"We were running nose to tail and someone up in front got in trouble and all
of us got on the brakes and it was like a wreck on the interstate," Park
said after the race. "I didn't think we hit that hard but when we came in
the pits the radiator was leaking. The engine wouldn't last too long if we
didn't fix it so we lost all those laps."

That accident stopped what was turning out to be one of Park's most
impressive performances of his career that saw him drive from his 34th
starting spot to as high as 8th before the wreck.

"Our car was great. We were faster than Terry most of the night and I think
we probably could have caught Dale. We will never know. But I would have
loved to be part off all that controversy at the end."

Park finished the race in 31st position. He returns to action this weekend
in Darlington.

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