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NASCAR WCUP: Park Disappointed When Great Day Winds Up As Only Good Day

26 October 1999

Sunday's 400-mile NASCAR Winston Cup Series Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400
race at Rockingham frustrated Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park. 

A 15th-place finish after starting 39th is always an achievement, but Park
was hoping for a great day.  It started like he hoped. 

"As good as we started this race I really thought we might have had
something for them today," Park said after the race. "But this is a tough
track. The tires go away pretty quickly and handling is always the battle.
It seemed like we were winning that battle in the beginning but the track
won at the end."

Park's hopes for a great finish seemed warranted as he drove from 39th to
12th in the first 80 laps. He raced as quickly as Dale Jarrett who was
dominating the race lapping half the field before the first pit stop.

"Your lap times are as quick as the leaders in the clear," crew chief Paul
Andrews told Park over the team radio. 

Park spent most of the race in or near 12th place with most of that time
staying just seconds ahead of the leader who eventually passed Park on lap
282.

The rest of the race was spent just hanging on to the 15th place finish. He
remained 16th in the 1999 points race.

Jeff Burton withstood a charge from older brother Ward to win the race. The
younger Burton, took the lead away from the elder on lap 326 -- on pit road
during the race's third caution period -- and held it for the remainder of
the 393-lap race. 

Park and his teammates return to action in two weeks in Phoenix.