Steve Park is looking to come back to the top ranks of NASCAR on a Steve Park Comeback Tour. Steve proved in July 2010 when he started 39th at Daytona in the summer classic for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, led a lap, and finished 13th that he is a top Sprint Cup driver still. Steve says that he has many WINS left in him for NASCAR. Champion Motorsports Marketing is going to be bringing Steve back to the top tiers of racing in 2011 and in 2012. Look for great things to come soon from this driver. We believe that Steve can win a NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship by 2012.
Steve Park was first hired by seven time Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt in 1996. Initially, Steve refused to return Dale's phone messages, who was calling with interest to hire Steve, thinking his friends were pranking him. After finally being convinced that the real Dale Earnhardt was calling him, Steve made one start in the #31 Busch Series car in Charlotte in October that resulted in a 29th place finish. Steve was then given a full time ride in Dale's #3 AC-Delco car for the 1997 Busch Series season where he posted 3 wins and walked away with Rookie of the Year honors.
Steve came to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as the driver for the start-up #1 Pennzoil team of Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). In the 1998 season, Park drove five races until an injury from a hard crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway sidelined him. Park returned later in the year.
During the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Park would grab one win at his home track of Watkins Glen, winning the 2000 Global Crossing at The Glen. In 2001, Park scored an emotional win for DEI by winning the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway, as Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash the week before at Daytona.
During the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. let Park go midway into the season, and he was effectively "traded" to Richard Childress Racing for Jeff Green, who took over the #1 car from Park with Park taking over the #30 AOL car for Childress. A few days later, he won the pole for the Winston All Star Open, but at the start of the race he jumped the start and had to start from the rear. He never made it to the next round. His best finish at RCR was a 5th place finish at Michigan that June, as he fought then teammate Robby Gordon for that position.
At the end of the 2003 season, Park announced he would not return to the #30 AOL car and would join the Craftsman Truck Series the following season. He joined Las Vegas-owned team Orleans Racing and piloted the #62 truck, vacated by Brendan Gaughan who was offered a ride in the #77 Kodak Nextel Cup car for Penske Racing. Although Steve never won a race in 2004, he finished 9th in CTS driver points, and was voted Most Popular Driver by his peers.
In 2005 Park won the Craftsman Truck Series American Racing Wheels 200, the second race of the season at California Speedway, and became the tenth driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's top racing series. However, Park and the team struggled the rest of the season, and in October, right before the truck race in Martinsville, Steve Park and Orleans Racing parted ways due to Dodge pulling support and money to many truck teams.
In 2008 Park signed with NDS Motorsports and drove the #35 Waste Management Recycle America Monte Carlo in all 13 of the NASCAR Camping World East Series events. He finished 9th in the standings with his best finish being second place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In late 2008, Steve Park was married to long time girlfriend, Jessica Skarpalezos at Sea Island, Georgia.
In 2009 Park returned to race in the #35 Waste Management Recycle America Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. He finished 5th in the point standings. Park made a single start in the Camping World Truck Series, starting 31st and finishing 25th. On August 1, 2009 Steve won the Edge Hotel 150 at Adirondack International Speedway. It was Steve's first NASCAR Camping World East Series win since July 1, 1996 at Nazareth Speedway. On August 12, 2009, Park announced on his website Steve-Park.com that he and his wife are expecting their first child.
In 2010 Park returned to race in the #35 Waste Management Recycle America Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. On January 2, 2010, Park announced on his website Steve-Park.com the birth of his son Jayden Robert Park. Park returned to the Sprint Cup Series in July 2010, driving the #36 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing. In his first top series race in several years, Park started the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona from the 39th position, as qualifying was rained out. He went on to finish 13th and led one lap. Park's fan-sponsored car was painted to honor Richie Evans, a nine-time NASCAR Modified champion who was killed in a racing accident shortly after winning his final championship in 1985.
If your company is interested in sponsoring Steve Park, please contact us. We will update you on Steve's career path and what our plans are for this great driver.
