Chat Transcript: Steve Park

February 28, 2001
4:09 PM EST (2109 GMT)

Host Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Steve Park!

Steve Park: Thank you for logging on tonight. It is great to answer questions on NASCAR.com and I appreciate all the support we have gotten at DEI over the last 10 days. What better way to support the fans with a win in a DEI car.

bHost:/b Question from: DEIfan4ever Steve, first of all congratulations on your recent win! It was emotional to those of us watching at home. How emotional was it to you, especially in the final lap?

Steve Park: It was very emotional and during the final lap I was just concentrating on winning the race. It wasn't until I took the checkered flag that I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had Dale's hat in the car with me all weekend and I dedicated the win to him because he has done so much for me as a driver.

Host Question from: Car3Fan Steve, congratulations on your great win. I know that Dale was with you during that race. What are the long-term future plans of DEI? Will Teresa continue an active role in running the company?

Steve Park: I would hope so. Right now it is hard to tell how Teresa, Dale Jr., and the rest of the family will recover from the great loss we have all suffered. I think she is going to continue the vision of what she and Dale had started a few years ago. They are going to continue to support these 3 teams and try to win championships. I think she will see it through.

Host Question from: Apollo24 What was it like the first time you met Dale Earnhardt and what was the impression you had of him?

Steve Park: The first time I met him was at the airport in Richmond when he sent his plane for me. I was scared to death! Getting a chance to meet him on a one-on-one basis was intimidating, but within the first hour I was at ease. He was a normal guy just like the rest of us. He was a husband, a father, and he was also looking out for the best interests of his organization as a businessman.

Host Question from: BevoNo3_311 Steve, how does it now feel to become a two-time winner and know that the entire team has a great chance at being a major contender this year?

Steve Park: It feels great! We have worked so hard on the Pennzoil team to put us in the position we are now. Paul Andrews and the rest of the guys have really turned this team around. We have a chance at wins and poles, and I am just really proud of the whole organization.

Host Question from: allie2 How closely do you, Dale Jr. and Michael work together on your set-ups, etc.?

Steve Park: We are really finding out what Michael likes right now. We are only 2 races into the season but we have noticed in the past that Jr. and I both share things we like in the racecars. The majority of it has worked out to make us both competitive. Right now we are just working on Michael, and all 3 of us communicate every day, so we are just trying to make all 3 cars be the best they can be.

Host Question from: chelle Steve, how do you feel about this week's race? Are you pretty confident about your car?

Steve Park: I am confident about my car every week. They do a great job preparing it. We tested Rockingham in January and we knew we had a good car to go back with. Michael tested Las Vegas with the NAPA team so he has some good information. We are going to go off what we know and what Michael and the NAPA team learned. That, combined with what Dale Jr. knows, should put us in good shape.

Host Question from: A Do you do anything special to get pumped up for the race?

Steve Park: That is a good question. The only thing I do before the race is have a big pasta dinner the night before and go to bed early. I think that makes me feel ready on Sunday morning. I have all the nutrients my body needs and I drink a lot of water. I don't need any more excitement. I sometimes need to be calmed down so I don't overdrive the car during the races.

Host Question from: JO STEVE, HOW DOES IT EFFECT YOU WHEN NASCAR POSTPONES THE RACE DUE TO WEATHER?

Steve Park: It just puts us back a day, obviously. It didn't really effect us this weekend except that our trucks had to go Las Vegas this weekend. That put us behind a day. The mental aspect didn't really bother me. I didn't matter what day we ran. It just came at a bad week when we were trying to turn everything around and go to Las Vegas.

Host Question from: Spanky Steve, congratulations on your win this past Monday! Is it true that you are a Jimmy Buffett fan and if so, what is your favorite song by JB?

Steve Park: I don't know if I would label myself a JB fan but I do listen to his music. How can you not like Margaritaville?

Host Question from: JO STEVE, DO YOU EVER GET NERVOUS OR WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THE SAFETY EQUIPMENT IN THE RACECAR?

Steve Park: Not really. In light of the recent tragedies we have all suffered, we are looking at a good head and neck restraint system. There are two or three other ones besides HANS that we are looking at. If we don't get one set by Las Vegas, we will have one by Atlanta.

Host Question from: Kingfish Steve, first of all congratz on the win! What do you think about the new changes in NASCAR that basically keep most of the racers all bunched up together and allow a lot of lead changes?

Steve Park: I thought it was pretty cool. We all sat single-file a few years ago and that was boring for both drivers and fans. Every week we have a closure rate and we have the opportunity to run into each other, but we don't do it. It is OK to not ride wide-open on a restrictor-plate race. It is an adjustment period from a driver's standpoint, from what we have seen at Daytona, more than anything else.

Host Why are so many young guys jumping to Winston Cup before winning in the Busch Series?

Steve Park: The best way to answer that is that there are a lot of teams and a lot of sponsors that want to be in Winston Cup because of its popularity. Cup owners are looking for the next "Jeff Gordon" in the Busch Series. They are giving guys an opportunity to step up. The face of NASCAR is starting to change and we are just starting to see what we are going to see in the next 15 to 20 years, which is a lot of young faces from the Busch series.

Host Question from: nyc STEVE, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN HANDLING ALL THE MEDIA ATTENSION TOWARDS YOU AND DEI?

Steve Park: It has not been easy, and unfortunately a lot of it is because of losing Dale Earnhardt. For us, getting back to the racetrack at Rockingham was more healing than anything. Dale will never be forgotten and every day at the shop we have a reminder of him being there and hoping he will come around the corner. The best thing for us is time, and running well last weekend was what Dale would have wanted. I saw some smiles around the shop today and Dale would want us to keep going and run well. Hopefully over time we can get over this great tragedy we have all suffered.

Host Question from: Teressa Steve, what do you enjoy doing away from the track?

Steve Park: What I really enjoy is riding my Harley Davidson! That is my sanctuary away from the track. I don't have the cell phone ringing with calls and I like having the wind blowing in my face. That gives me time to myself. That is the only thing I can do in conjunction with racing because I can ride my Harley to a lot of tracks that are close to my home. I also enjoy playing golf with Michael Waltrip.

Host Question from: congrats Do you think there will be a lot of pressure on Dale Jr. this season, as he may feel he has to fill his father's shoes?

Steve Park: I think Dale Jr. knows that nobody can fill his father's shoes. I think even when his dad was around, he showed the racing world he wanted to be his own person. He has been amazingly strong and he has gone from a young man to a man by taking over some duties at the shop. He has impressed all of us over the past few days. Over time he is going to be able to uphold the vision that Dale and Teresa had started 3 or 4 years ago. He has shown incredible maturity over the past 10 days.

Host Question from: ruthie STEVE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WINSTON CUP DRIVERS DRIVING IN THE BUSCH SERIES?

Steve Park: I can comment on that from my experience in the Busch Series. I used to love racing against Mark Martin but it made those races a lot harder to win. I was able to judge myself against a guy like Mark Martin and any guys who want to move up to Cup should welcome the Cup guys and the opportunity to learn from them.

Host How would you design your perfect Winston Cup track?

Steve Park: I would not make it a 1.5-mile track like 90% of the tracks we go to. I think the best racing is at Bristol and Richmond. I would build something in-between the two -- a medium-banked oval, without a tri-oval, at about .5 to 1-mile. I think some of the best racing we see is at those two tracks, so something in-between those would be great for the fans.

Host Question from: BIGPARKFAN What do you think you want to do after your racing career is over? Do you want to be a team owner or maybe be in the booth next to DW?

Steve Park: I am not thinking about the end of my career just yet! I would like to continue on and win a Championship, but after my career in Cup is over, I would like to be involved in racing some way, either as an owner or up in the booth. I haven't thought that far yet.

Host Question from: BLobonte Steve, do you think that with this new aerodynamic system they are putting on the cars that there will be some new TOP people in the points standings?

Steve Park: The aero packages are only on the restrictor-plate tracks so the rules haven't really changed for the intermediate tracks we go to. You might see some surprises at the superspeedways, but the best-prepared teams are going to run up front at the intermediate tracks because the rules haven't really changed.

Host What advice do you have for the guys entering their 1st or 2nd year in Cup?

Steve Park: I guess the best advice is just to work hard and stay focused because it will knock the wind out of you pretty quick if you let it. The media attention becomes overwhelming sometimes and that distracts you from racing that car. Staying in shape and staying mentally prepared for a long season is important, and working with the team and making the car the best it can be is key.

Host Question from: Ironhead3rcr STEVE, HOW DO YOU FEEL THE NEW DODGES WILL DO THIS YEAR?

Steve Park: So far they have done pretty good. We were surprised they were able to run so fast at Daytona because winter testing didn't really show that. Once we got back to downforce tracks, we thought most cars would be equal. NASCAR made the cars mostly similar. Some guys complained about the Dodge having less drag at Daytona, but with the guys they have, it doesn't surprise me how well they are running out of the gate.

Host Question from: balue3 We have heard a lot of drivers saying they've learned a lot from Dale. What was the most important thing you learned from him?

Steve Park: Believe it or not, I would say patience. You would never associate patience with Dale Earnhardt but he taught me that you needed to be around in the last laps and not tear yourself up in the first 20 laps. You have to work with the crew chiefs and tune your car all day long and be there during those last few laps.

Host Question from: hey Steve, what do you think about the NASCAR Winston Cup schedule? Do you think that we are getting too many races for one season?

Steve Park: Right now I don't think we are. We are probably pretty close to the limit because there are only so many days in the year. It isn't so hard on the drivers, it is more about the crews. They have to get the cars turned around for the next race. There are only 24 hours in a day, and we are running out of hours. We are close to the limit of what we are capable of doing without hiring a second team at home to keep things going.

Host Do you take anything on the road with you that reminds you of home?

Steve Park: That is a really good question! I just built a new motorhome last year and the inside is almost identical (to the colors, cabinets, carpet, etc.) to the inside of my home. We spend so much time in our motorhomes that it feels like home when you are in the motorhome. It helps ease the transition from being on the road when you actually get home.

Host That's all the time Steve has for us today. Thanks Steve! Steve, what are your final thoughts?

Steve Park: Thank you everybody for supporting NASCAR.com. Just hang in there. We have gone through some changes on the site and you can look forward to more visits from myself and other drivers. I appreciate your support over the last 10 days for DEI. From your love and support, you have made us feel a lot better. That is the only thing that is going to get us through this. We love you as much as you love us. If we all stick together we can get through this and move on.

Steve Park: Good night and keep buying Pennzoil!