Driver Profile:

In less than 18 months, Steve Park went from modified racer to Busch Series regular.

"When I was racing modifieds I set a goal of either being in or on my way to Winston Cup racing by the time I was 30," recalled the East Northport, N.Y., native. "It was close, and I guess there were times when it didn't look like I was going to make it, but it all worked out in the end."

Park's roots in racing run deep. His mother, Dotti, frequently traveled to Islip Speedway in New York to watch her boyfriend and eventual husband Bob race his modified car.

Steve began "playing" with go-karts at age 12 and moved to four-cylinder cars by the time he turned 16. His first big break came when Bob Park's ARCA schedule forced him to miss a qualifying session at Riverhead one night. The 17-year-old Park was asked to run in a qualifying race.

He started at the rear of the field because crewmembers "were afraid to start me anywhere near where I could hurt someone." He grabbed the final spot much to the delight of his father, who returned in time and replaced Steve before the race.

Park got his first modified win in 1988. He earned five victories in 1989. Still, Park knew that if he were to meet his goal of reaching NASCAR's top series by age 30, he had to do something different. He sold all of his modified equipment and acquired a third-hand Busch car that he and his father worked on all winter.

"We went to Daytona the following spring, where we missed the field by just one position," Park said. "It was a letdown, but it was pretty incredible that we could come that close to making the field, and looking back on it, it was good that I could spend that much time with Dad."

Steve also knew that to go far in the sport he needed sponsorship. So he and some friends filmed a video and created a brochure touting Park's talents. He sent more than 5,000 packages to potential sponsors across the nation hoping, as Park said, "that if you throw enough arrows in the air a few will land right." Only one minor sponsor materialized.

Without a ride, Park started going to the track to help on his Dad's car. Modified owner Curt Chase noticed the younger Park hanging out in the pits and asked if he wouldn't mind driving his car.

After spending the 1992 season with Chase, Park moved to TG Racing, where he won four times in 1993 and 10 times in 1994. In 1995, Park posted seven victories with Sheba Racing and five victories the following year. He also competed in 11 races in the Busch North Series in 1996, winning at Nazareth and New Hampshire.

He then knew it was time to start looking elsewhere.

Cup and Busch series owners began to look seriously at Park when he finished 11th at Indianapolis in a Craftsman Truck Series race in 1996. However, his breakthrough moment came at Watkins Glen when Joe Nemechek asked the youngster to qualify his truck. Nemechek was in Bristol racing in a Cup event.

With instructions to "just get the car in the field" like that night years ago at Riverhead Speedway, Park climbed into Nemecheck's truck and took off on the twisty New York road course and surprised everyone by winning the pole. He turned the truck over to Nemechek for the race, but Park had taken a big step toward making a name for himself.

Car owners wooed Park to move south, and even some of the sport's biggest names took an interest. Richard Childress wanted him for his truck team, and Dale Earnhardt started eyeing the youngster.

Steve didn't believe that the voice on his answering machine one summer afternoon in 1996 was that of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. So, he ignored the message, until Earnhardt called back.

After playing the message to his mother Dotti for verification, Park returned the call. That led the modified star to drive Earnhardt's Busch car and ultimately the No. 1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo on the Cup circuit in 1998.

All went reasonably well until September 2001, when Park survived a vicious accident in the No. 31 Whelen Busch Series car. Park suffered a moderate concussion, sitting out the rest of the 2001 racing season to recover as well as the first few races of the 2002 season.

In early 2004, after a couple of tough seasons in NASCAR's premier series, Park was named to drive the Orleans Dodge in the Craftsman Truck Series.

When not at the track, Park enjoys riding motorcycles, boating and golf.