NASCAR BGN: Park Ready To Race In His Biggest Busch Race Of The Year
11 May 2000
Steve Park's #31 Whelen Monte Carlo was one of three cars to lead Friday night's Busch race at Richmond. After the sixth place finish, Park said the feeling he had while leading the race was about as good as it gets in racing. But later he changed is mind. He said an even better feeling would be leading and eventually winning Saturday's Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway - the flat mile oval Park calls his home track. The 33-year-old is the only driver to race in NASCAR's top five touring series at NHIS. Park's NHIS record includes four victories in the Featherlite Modifieds, one victory in the Busch North car, a second place finish in his only Busch South race, a fourth-place finish in his only Craftsman Truck appearance and an 12th-place Winston Cup finish in 1999. Park, a native of East Northport, N.Y., lived in Ellington, Conn., about a 3-hour drive from NHIS, when he drove in the modified series. NHIS is also considered the home track for Ted Marsh Racing whose Connecticut-based team fields the Whelen Monte Carlos. The team's sponsor, Whelen Engineering, is the maker of innovative emergency lighting and siren products is based in Chester, Connecticut and has long been a fixture in Northeast racing. Park On This Weekend's Busch Race At NHIS "You saw how well we did Friday night. This team is just finding itself right now. We have been behind the eight ball for a while getting everyone headed in the right direction but if you have followed us you will see how we have improved over the last few races. We have qualified in the top ten at the last three races we have run. "I know the Whelen guys, the Marsh Racing team and myself see this weekend's race as about the biggest Busch Series race we will be in this season. New Hampshire is sort of a homecoming for me and its definitely a homecoming for Whelen and Marsh Racing. New Hampshire is a place where guys from the Northeast like myself had the opportunity to showcase our talent in front of a lot of the Winston Cup, Busch, and Truck owners and drivers. Competing in five of NASCAR's top divisions there is pretty neat. I think I have raced every type of car that has ever been on that track except an Indy car. Right now, I don't have any ambition to race one of those cars there. "This is a place that gave me my start so it has a special place in my heart. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for New Hampshire International Speedway guys like me would never have had an opportunity to be in Winston Cup racing." Racing In Front of Home Folks: "Racing in front of your home folks puts a little more pressure on you because everyone is there to see you and cheer for you. On the other hand it's also a great place to perform well. I think I might be a little nervous once we get there, but once we get the Pennzoil car through qualifying and start working on the race setup those nervous jitters will settle down and we will be OK. I do have a bad memory here. In 1998 after I got hurt at Atlanta, by the time New Hampshire came up on the schedule was well enough to drive but Darrell Waltrip was still in our Winston Cup car. It was tough to watch. I felt capable of racing, so it was really hard to go back to New Hampshire and sit and watch someone else race my. It was a tough thing to go through, but it has made going back each time even sweeter. Sometimes you don't appreciate things until you have them taken away." Owner/Crew Chief Ted Marsh On Saturday's Busch Race: "Like Steve said, this is our biggest race of the year. Sometimes when we race in the South they ask about our team and history. When we race at New Hampshire everyone knows us. We have had a lot of success in the Busch North and Modified races at NHIS. These are our fans we are racing in front of this weekend and that makes you want to do even better than normal. Plus Whelen, our sponsor, will have lots of fans in the stands as well. The key is to get a good qualifying run in then let Steve do what he does best on Saturday and that's race. He knows this track as well as anyone. If we can get him in and out of the pits, then we are going to be fine." TNN will televise Sunday's race at 12:30 p.m.