NASCAR WCUP: Strategy or Luck at Martinsville Doesn't Matter As Park Continues March In Points
5 October 1999
In some respects Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park's day at Martinsville on Sunday can be summed up in one word. Lucky. Or two words. Very lucky. But you can also look at it as Crew Chief Paul Andrews knew when to take a strategic risk and it paid off - not just once for the Hall of Fame crew chief and young driver but twice during the four-hour race. Two times during Sunday's 500-mile race on the flat half-mile oval, Andrews kept his second-year driver on the track while others were pitting for the new, faster tires. Park struggled to maintain a decent pace on the worn tires, because he and Andrews knew that if he came in he was sure to drop two laps behind the leaders if a yellow flag were to come out between the time he pitted and the leaders pitted. "I know it's hard to hang on to it and maybe we can get a break," Andrews told Park early in the race at about the 140-lap mark. As most in the field were making their initial pit stops, leader Kenny Wallace remained on the track and so did Park. Almost as if it were planned, the caution fell and Park pitted under the yellow. When the race restarted Park had moved from 18th to about ninth. "That worked out pretty well," said Andrews. "We have a break now we have to capitalize on it." But Park couldn't capitalize on the break as he liked. He struggled most of the day negotiating through the tight corners. Sometimes the rear of the car would swing wide exiting the corner, at other times the car wouldn't turn in the middle of the corner. Both common problems most of the field faced during the day. Park fell down a lap and late in the race it appeared he was ready to be lapped again when Andrews followed the same strategy as earlier and kept Park out on the track waiting to pit with the leader. And once again a yellow fell at just the right time and Park climbed back into the top ten. "Sometimes you just have days like this," Andrews told the crew over the team radio. "You have to make your own breaks." For the rest of the race, Park maintained a steady pace finishing the race in 12th place. "That was a pretty tough day, but we finished pretty good and that's all that matters. Paul made two fantastic calls and that certainly made the difference today. I think you saw today when we respect him so much and really trust him whenever he says something." The 12th-place finish moves Park to 18th place in the point standings. He was 34th just ten races ago. Jeff Gordon won Sunday's race, the first for he and new crew chief Brian Whitesell. Park and his teammates return to action this weekend at Charlotte. Qualifying is Wednesday night with practice and second round qualifying on Thursday, an off day Friday for Winston Cup cars, practice Saturday and the race Sunday.