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Park says sponsors skeptical he's recovered from '01 crash
By Mike Mulhern
JOURNAL REPORTER
Steve Park is an angry young man right now. Yes, he vigorously says, he can drive a Winston Cup car. And he showed that at Michigan and at some other stops this season.
But, after half a season with DEI and then half a season with Richard Childress, Park, at 34, is looking for a ride. His performance in the last three races of the season may determine his fate.
And the question is, will he get another opportunity in the Winston/Nextel Cup garage.
"Humpy Wheeler said they had a position opening up selling hot dogs in turn two," Park cracked. "I might take him up on that.
"Right now, I don't know what the future holds. I've talked with a few people. I want to put myself in a good position with a good team to be able to win races. There are limited opportunities in Cup. So the Busch series isn't ruled out.
"I just want to get back with a team and a sponsor that want you to be there, win races, run up front. Because what we do is hard enough by itself that you've got to have fun doing it."
Is Park 100 percent, physically and mentally? That's what people keep asking, even now, more than two years after he was T-boned at Darlington, a crash that forced him to sit out several months.
"Yeah, I mean, it's been two years, and people forget that it's been such a long time ago," Park said. "I feel great. I'm in the best shape of my life. I've worked toward making sure I can run far and stay focused. I've done numerous exercises to prove to myself ...
"If anybody can keep up with me on a weekend or during the week, in the gym, out of the gym, well, God bless "em, because it takes a lot to go through all the training I put myself through, to just to prove I can race these cars.
"But you get labeled -'Hey, are you back 100 percent?' If you win two or three races, you'll never hear that again.
"In May when we talked about this job, Richard was straightforward about building this team up to where it needed to be, and he wanted an experienced driver to come in and grow with the team," Park said. "He said, "I know we've got to make some changes, we've got to motivate some people.' I feel we've done that.
"But then after 17 races I'm on the hot seat again. I've been on the hot seat for two years. Me and RC have been good friends since '95, but the sport has changed so much and sponsors are critical and sponsorship is critical. Back in the old days racing was racing and sponsors were a part of it, but now it seems like the guys in corporate America are dictating to people how to do their jobs.
"RCR and DEI know how to win races. These sponsors need to let people do their jobs. You don't see racers telling sponsors how to run their companies."
Childress simply repeats the mantra that stock-car racing is a performance sport.
"Steve's a good race driver, I just don't think we have the right combination," Childress said. "And all our equipment is basically the same."
Park said he's stubborn, that he won't go quietly into the shadows.
"People harp on the injury thing, and I truly feel it's hurt my career," Park said. "You get labeled when you get hurt. I feel sad for Jerry Nadeau, who is coming back great from an injury. We saw what Ricky Craven had to go through (three years rebuilding his career). The critics don't get quiet until you get back to winning races. Ricky quieted his critics, and that's what we need to do.
"But if you can't get in a top-line car with a top-line team, it's tough to do that."
Park and many other veterans are acutely aware of the sport's newcomers - and the fact that they are winning early and often.
"You see all these young guys coming in the sport, the changing of the guard," Park said. "Yes, there needs to be new talent; Bill Elliott won't be around another 10 years. But you don't need to be replacing 30-year-olds with 20-year-olds, though that seems like the trend. Corporate America seems to want the next 19-year-old big shot Sprint car guy out of Indiana.
"But in Cup, experience plays a big role. If you get a young, new driver, you can throw out the first year. And you can probably throw out the first eight races of the second year. In the third year, you might have another Ryan Newman. But three years is the length of a contract.
"Heck, I can't even get a one-year deal," he added with a laugh.
Park says sponsors skeptical he's recovered from '01 crash
By Mike Mulhern
JOURNAL REPORTER
Steve Park is an angry young man right now. Yes, he vigorously says, he can drive a Winston Cup car. And he showed that at Michigan and at some other stops this season.
But, after half a season with DEI and then half a season with Richard Childress, Park, at 34, is looking for a ride. His performance in the last three races of the season may determine his fate.
And the question is, will he get another opportunity in the Winston/Nextel Cup garage.
"Humpy Wheeler said they had a position opening up selling hot dogs in turn two," Park cracked. "I might take him up on that.
"Right now, I don't know what the future holds. I've talked with a few people. I want to put myself in a good position with a good team to be able to win races. There are limited opportunities in Cup. So the Busch series isn't ruled out.
"I just want to get back with a team and a sponsor that want you to be there, win races, run up front. Because what we do is hard enough by itself that you've got to have fun doing it."
Is Park 100 percent, physically and mentally? That's what people keep asking, even now, more than two years after he was T-boned at Darlington, a crash that forced him to sit out several months.
"Yeah, I mean, it's been two years, and people forget that it's been such a long time ago," Park said. "I feel great. I'm in the best shape of my life. I've worked toward making sure I can run far and stay focused. I've done numerous exercises to prove to myself ...
"If anybody can keep up with me on a weekend or during the week, in the gym, out of the gym, well, God bless "em, because it takes a lot to go through all the training I put myself through, to just to prove I can race these cars.
"But you get labeled -'Hey, are you back 100 percent?' If you win two or three races, you'll never hear that again.
"In May when we talked about this job, Richard was straightforward about building this team up to where it needed to be, and he wanted an experienced driver to come in and grow with the team," Park said. "He said, "I know we've got to make some changes, we've got to motivate some people.' I feel we've done that.
"But then after 17 races I'm on the hot seat again. I've been on the hot seat for two years. Me and RC have been good friends since '95, but the sport has changed so much and sponsors are critical and sponsorship is critical. Back in the old days racing was racing and sponsors were a part of it, but now it seems like the guys in corporate America are dictating to people how to do their jobs.
"RCR and DEI know how to win races. These sponsors need to let people do their jobs. You don't see racers telling sponsors how to run their companies."
Childress simply repeats the mantra that stock-car racing is a performance sport.
"Steve's a good race driver, I just don't think we have the right combination," Childress said. "And all our equipment is basically the same."
Park said he's stubborn, that he won't go quietly into the shadows.
"People harp on the injury thing, and I truly feel it's hurt my career," Park said. "You get labeled when you get hurt. I feel sad for Jerry Nadeau, who is coming back great from an injury. We saw what Ricky Craven had to go through (three years rebuilding his career). The critics don't get quiet until you get back to winning races. Ricky quieted his critics, and that's what we need to do.
"But if you can't get in a top-line car with a top-line team, it's tough to do that."
Park and many other veterans are acutely aware of the sport's newcomers - and the fact that they are winning early and often.
"You see all these young guys coming in the sport, the changing of the guard," Park said. "Yes, there needs to be new talent; Bill Elliott won't be around another 10 years. But you don't need to be replacing 30-year-olds with 20-year-olds, though that seems like the trend. Corporate America seems to want the next 19-year-old big shot Sprint car guy out of Indiana.
"But in Cup, experience plays a big role. If you get a young, new driver, you can throw out the first year. And you can probably throw out the first eight races of the second year. In the third year, you might have another Ryan Newman. But three years is the length of a contract.
"Heck, I can't even get a one-year deal," he added with a laugh.