Green hired to drive No. 1 Chevy at LMS

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Jeff Green, who was Dale Earnhardt Incorporated's first "outside" driver when he competed in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1995, has been hired by the team to replace Steve Park, whose release as the driver of the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet in the Winston Cup Series was announced Tuesday.

Related  Green hopes for rebound  Green fired at RCR  Green angry at Harvick

Green, who was replaced by Park in DEI's Busch Series entry in 1997, will drive the No. 1 car on an interim basis beginning with practice for the Winston Open at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"We feel Jeff can bring a fresh perspective to this team," DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt said. "He's worked with our teams in the past and knows that we're dedicated to winning.

"I'm optimistic about the rest of the season."

Green, 40, of Owensboro, Ky., became available when Richard Childress Racing released him on Monday as the driver of its No. 30 AOL Chevrolet.

"It's amazing how much can change in 48 hours," Green said. "DEI is a great organization. I was here when they first started to grow and to come back now and see what they've accomplished is tremendous.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity that Teresa has given me and hope to bring some positive results to this team."

Park out at DEI  MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Steve Park's turbulent career with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated came to an end Tuesday when the organization announced it had fired the driver.  Full Story

Green drove for DEI in its first full Busch Series season when seven-time Winston Cup champion Earnhardt retired from the Busch Series following the 1994 season.

In two seasons, Green finished fifth and fourth in the championship, and scored 11 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes in 52 races.

Green struggled to make a mark both of NASCAR's top national divisions until he joined ppc Racing in 1999. In three seasons with ppc, Green scored one of the most dominant Busch championship seasons in 2000, and won 13 races in three years teamed with crew chief Harold Holly.

Green drove for RCR in the 2002 Busch Series, where he scored two victories and 16 top-10 finishes in 22 starts. Since starting the AOL Winston Cup program for Childress, he had struggled to equal his stellar Busch Series record.

Park's recent career growth was damaged when he suffered a life-threatening head injury in a crash in the Busch Series South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway in September 2001.

His release closed a chapter in his career in which he had driven for DEI in Winston Cup and Busch for the last seven seasons.

"We've had some bright spots with Steve and the Pennzoil team, and our loyalty to each other was to hard to overcome," Teresa Earnhardt said, "however we are not where we need or expect to be at this point."

Green has also gained a ride engineered by Holly with Team Amick Motorsports for the May 24 Busch Series event at LMS, the day before the Winston Cup Coca-Cola 600.