Park prepared to put past behind him

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Steve Park, driver of the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, is ready to put his past behind him, especially the 2002 Daytona 500. Moving into the future, with a new crew chief, a new team and a new attitude, Park's ready for his first Daytona 500 victory.

	Steve Park

Missing his first Daytona 500 since joining Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated in 1998 was not easy for Park in 2002. Sitting on pit road watching Kenny Wallace race his car wasn't either.

"This is the biggest race of the season, and you only get one chance a year to make it. I was watching it last February already thinking about my next chance.

"I felt absolutely no animosity toward Kenny," Park said. "I was injured and knew there was nothing I could do about it. Hiring him to drive the car was the best decision."

Park's return to the Daytona 500 isn't the only change for the Pennzoil team when entering the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup season. A new crew chief, Tony Gibson, and an almost entirely new pit crew have brought fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the team. Gibson and Park together feel that they will be a serious threat throughout the 2003 season.

"This team is just awesome," said Gibson. "We've been through three sets of testing, including one here, and all three went extremely well. The amount of effort and hard work that has gone into this car would make a win at the 500 even more special for us."

"I have all the confidence in the world in Tony. This is the best I've felt going into a season since this team started," Park said. "This team has worked so hard through the off-season. Hard work pays off. Our dividends will be seen here next week."

While changes have boosted the team's enthusiasm, it may be history that has raised their confidence here. With DEI's impressive restrictor plate record, the team has won six of the last 10 restrictor plate events, a DEI car is favored to win the prestigious event.

"DEI's record here is unbelievable," said Gibson. "Their consistent success at this track makes it hard not to have a high confidence level at the 500."

Park has yet to win a Winston Cup restrictor plate event, but scored a season high sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in October, the series' most recent restrictor plate event.

"Michael (Waltrip) has his Daytona 500 victory. (Dale Earnhardt) Junior has won the last three races at Talladega," Park said. "It's my turn to win now."