Steve Park

Stephen Brian Park (born August 23, 1967) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He won races in NASCAR's two top Northeast touring series (Modified and K&N East) and all three national divisions (Truck, Busch, Cup Series). Park was born in East Northport, New York as the youngest of four sons. Park began racing not in an entry-level class, but in NASCAR Modifieds on Long Island of longtime National Modified Championship contender Bob Park. After establishing himself in weekly Modified racing at Riverhead Raceway, he advanced to the Featherlite Modified Series. He won several races and became a championship contender before moving on to the Busch Series. He won twice in NASCAR's highest division. Park was injured in an accident at Pocono during the 2001 race where he flipped several times after hitting the turn 3 wall at over 200mph. NASCAR career 1996–1997 Park was initially hired by seven-time Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt in 1996. Initially, Park refused to return Dale's phone messages, who was calling with interest to hire Park, thinking his friends were pranking him. However, after finally being convinced that the real Dale Earnhardt was calling him, Park made one start in the No. 31 Busch Series (now known as the Xfinity Series) car in Charlotte in October that resulted in a 29th-place finish. Park was then given a full-time ride in Earnhardt's No. 3 AC-Delco-sponsored car for the 1997 season. Throughout the season, Park posted three wins at Nashville, Michigan, and Richmond, walking away with Rookie of the Year honors with a third-place finish in the final points standings.