Sunday
Steve Park Finishes 19th at Phoenix International Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Press Release
The No. 46 Eddie Sharp Racing team arrived at the Arizona track ready to compete for a top spot in the second-to-last race of the NCWTS season. In the first practice, the team utilized the time to run laps with a fast time of 28.445 seconds (126.560 mph) around the one-mile track. Thursday night, Park laid down a lap of 28.035 seconds (128.411 mph) in the final practice of the weekend, positioning the team 16th-quickest in the session.
The team got back to the track Friday for qualifying, and Park laid down a lap of 27.954 seconds (128.783 mph). The lap time landed him in the 20th position to start the race later Saturday night.
The sun went down across the desert on Friday night as the green flag flew on Lucas Oil 150, and Park looked to improve on his 25th-place finish in his last NCWTS start at Kentucky Speedway in Sept. 2010. Rolling off 20th, Park took the opportunity to work his way to 18th by the time the field came to the second lap. By the ninth lap, the No. 46 fell back to 22nd in traffic but continued to show prowess as he posted times quicker than the next six cars in front of him.
The first yellow flag flew on lap 17 with the No. 89 of Chris Lafferty hitting the wall. Crew chief Jefferson Hodges made the call to stay out, and the No. 46 restarted under green on lap 23 in the 21st position. The veteran driver found an opportunity to move past Mario Gosselin and Brad Sweet to take over the 19th position on lap 29. “You are quicker than a lot of the drivers in front of you,” Hodges radioed to the driver. “Don’t waste any time when you get to them.”
Park cleared the No. 62 of Greg Pursley for the 18th position by lap 34 and looked to catch up to the No. 23 of Jason White for the 17th position. The field slowed for another caution on lap 53, with Park running in the 17th spot. The No. 46 came down pit road for the first pit stop of the day. The ESR crew went to work, and made track bar and tire pressure adjustments and added four tires and fuel. The quick stop helped Park gain one spot off pit road and moved him to the 16th position.
The green flag waved on lap 59, and spotter Carl Hartman soon directed his driver out of trouble. “There is a spin behind you,” Hartman said. “Just keep digging.” The multi-car accident brought out the yellow on lap 60.
Clint Bowyer led the field back to green on lap 63 with Park in the 16th position. Caught up in traffic, Park fell to the 18th position and held steady until another yellow flag waved on lap 89 with a car spinning on turn four. Park reported to his team that he was losing a lot of grip on the track as the night wore on.
Pit road opened, and the No. 46 drove to the ESR pit stall on lap 91 for the final stop of the night. The crew put on four tires, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment to help the handling of the car. Another quick pit stop by the No. 46 crew helped Park pick up two spots, restarting on lap 95 in the 16th position.
“Elbows up. 40 to go, Park,” encouraged Hodges. “You are much quicker than the drivers in front of you. Go get ‘em.” The caution flew for the final time on lap 113 with Ron Hornaday hitting the wall on lap 113. In the 14th position, Park relayed to the crew that he had no grip and was just going to have to search around for the final laps.
The green flag waved on 118, with Park restarting on the outside in the 14th position. The No. 46 fell back to 19th, telling the team that he was having a really hard time turning the race car. As the last car on the lead lap, Park held steady in the 19th position.
Bowyer grabbed the win in the Lucas Oil 150. With a 12th-place finish, Todd Bodine clinched the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with one race left in the season. Park would end up 19th in the race results.
“Overall, it was a disappointing finish,” said Park. “We qualified 20th, and as the race got started, we struggled, which I think caught us all out of the blue. We were hoping for a late caution to make some changes on a pit stop, but it never came, so we had to deal with that. We restarted late in the race on the outside, and the track was chattering the tires really bad. Overall, I’m a bit disappointed. We have a lot of confidence in this team, and it is only our third race. We have some work to do, but I really believe that we are going to keep pushing and continue to get better. I have to thank everyone for their support, and we are going to keep digging for the next season.”
The PIR race concludes the 2010 NCWTS schedule for Park. He finished the season with three starts and a high-finish of 18th at Chicagoland Speedway. “I have to thank everyone at Eddie Sharp Racing, the Hartmans, Van Dyk Baler, Bollegraaf, Lubo USA and all of the fans for all of their support this season,” said Park. “We are working on the logistics for next season, and I hope to be able to return to the series full-time next season.”
- Activ8 Communications Press Release
Article Tags: Bollegraaf, Brad Sweet, Carl Hartman, Chicagoland Speedway, Chris Lafferty, Clint Bowyer, Eddie Sharp Racing, ESR, Greg Pursley, Jefferson Hodges, Kentucky Speedway, Lubo USA, Mario Gosselin, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NCWTS, No. 41 Van Dyk Baler Bollegraaf Lubo USA Toyota Tundra, Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, PIR, Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, Van Dyk Baler
