NASCAR WCUP: Park Falls To 12th Late In Atlanta Race But Climbs to 14th Place In Season Points Race
21 November 1999
Sunday's NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was both good and bad for Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park. After leading much of the race, the 12th place he occupied when the checkered flag fell was worst he had been all afternoon. But when he climbed out of the Pennzoil car he was 14th place in the 1999 points race, the best at any time during an even longer season. "I guess looking at the big picture we have to be happy the way this team has come back over the second half of the season and managed to climb from 34th to 14th in the points," said Park after climbing out of his 12th place car. "But I'd be lying to you if I told you I wasn't disappointed with the way we finished today. I thought this might be our best chance for a victory. There at the end the handling just went away." Park isn't exaggerating. He led 72 laps and never really fell out of the top five after starting on the outside pole - his best qualifying run of the season. "Out car was a dream most of the day," Park said. And it showed. In the early going Park outran race winner Bobby Labonte and even at times appeared to be running away from the field just like he did in the same Pennzoil car that he led 84 laps in at Lowes Motor Speedway in May. "Keep your car rolling and don't burn your stuff up there is nobody pressuring from behind," said Crew Chief Paul Andrews. The Dale Earnhardt Inc. crew aided in Park's progression by turning in three pits stops each under 17 seconds. But on lap 198 after a serious accident involving former Pennzoil driver Michael Waltrip Park entered the pits in third place and left in seventh place. Crewmembers felt they had beaten several cars to the end of pit lane but NASCAR ruled Park was in seventh position. (Waltrip was cut from his car, but released from Georgia Baptist Hospital Sunday night.) On the restart Park had difficulty passing the cars in front of him. "The car is a little too tight," he told Andrews on the radio. As the crew attempted to make the car turn better Park continued to fall through the field. With less than 50 laps remaining in the race, Park restarted in fifth place just after a caution period. But some of the cars on newer tires were able to pass and drop him to the 12th position. While there was no drama surrounding Park's chances for a victory, but crewmembers watched the scoring screen closely as Ken Schrader tried to pass Geoffrey Bodine and finish in 18th place. If Schrader had made that pass, it would have been enough to keep him ahead of Park for 14th place in the points. Instead Park nipped Schrader by two points. "Finishing 14th isn't something we plan to be excited about this time next year or even the year after that," Park said. "But it was a goal for this year. Remember we were about 34th in points when we were in Charlotte in May. So to come back like we did is certainly an accomplishment." Park's second half surge is best illustrated by his ninth place in the points since Daytona. Park and his teammates will begin off-season testing in January and be ready for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. - Only 90 days from today. 1999 Final Standings 1 Dale Jarrett 5262 2 Bobby Labonte 5061 3 Mark Martin 4943 4 Tony Stewart 4774 5 Jeff Burton 4733 6 Jeff Gordon 4620 7 Dale Earnhardt 4492 8 Rusty Wallace 4155 9 Ward Burton 4062 10 Mike Skinner 4003 11 Jeremy Mayfield 3743 12 Terry Labonte 3580 13 Bobby Hamilton 3564 14 Steve Park 3481 15 Ken Schrader 3479 16 Sterling Marlin 3397 17 John Andretti 3394 18 Wally Dallenbach Jr 3367 19 Kenny Irwin 3338 20 Jimmy Spencer 3312 21 Bill Elliott 3246 22 Kenny Wallace 3210 23 Chad Little 3193 24 Elliott Sadler 3191 25 Kevin Lepage 3185