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October 26, 2005
Steve Park to the #67 Truck for Bill Davis Racing
Yesterday Steve Park did an interview with Claire B. Lang on XM in which he confirmed that he will be in the #67 Toyota truck for Bill Davis Racing for two races, this weekend in Atlanta and then in Texas, with South Padre Island as the sponsor. Apparently they were going to keep it under wraps longer but Claire heard the rumor and called Steve to confirm and after he got permission he spilled the beans on the air. Personally, I'm surprised it took that long for the news to come out considering it's seemed like he's been telling more than a few people that he was going to end up in a Toyota. In any event this is outstanding news! Steve sounded extremely happy, perhaps more so than I've heard him sound since he won early in the season at Fontana. So it was really good to hear that excitement in his voice! Which means that I am really looking forward to him being behind the wheel of one of those Toyotas! Steve said that he's still looking for a ride for 2006 but this could potentially open up some more doors for him. I'd love to see him in a Toyota in the truck series full time.
During the interview Steve thanked a number of people for their help including Michael Waltrip Racing. From what he was saying it sounded like perhaps some of Michael's people were helping prepare the truck but Steve was, as usual, talking kind of fast so it was hard to tell exactly what he meant. But in any event my impression was that Michael had a hand in some way in making this happen and if so that is awesome! It really makes me smile to think of Michael helping his friend but I would expect no less since that's the kind of thing that Michael has done in the past for some of his other friends. That's a quality that I very much admire about Michael - how he helps other people and does nice things for them when he can. It's funny because some fans of Steve hold a grudge against Michael for not being more vocal in his support of Steve after he was released from DEI, despite Michael being in a difficult position caught between the company he worked for and his good friend. Steve is also friends with Bill and Gail Davis so I imagine their fondness for him also played a role. Steve is extremely lucky to have friends like the Davis's and Michael who are supportive of him and willing to help him out when he needs it.
Back when Steve made his return to the modified series earlier this month, I said that I wished that he would have more opportunities to race just for fun rather than having to worry about points. Well, that's exactly what this opportunity is. Since it's a late entry the #67 won't be eligible for points so Steve has a bit less pressure on his shoulders. Yes, he wants to race well for his sponsor and to make a good impression on anyone who might be considering him for a ride in 2006, but I think it's potentially a situation where Steve can go into it with a slightly different approach than he was when he was in the #62. Particularly if the truck is competitive. Most of the trucks that Bill Davis Racing fields seem to be fairly good so I think Steve is really going to enjoy being behind the wheel of a Toyota. The only issue that Steve faces is that he's going to have to qualify for this race on time since he won't be able to get in on points. That puts a lot of pressure on him for qualifying but hopefully things will go well and he will race up front in Atlanta!
What's interesting and perhaps a bit ironic is that Steve did something very similar to what Scott Lynch did in relation to the #62. South Padre Island was one of Steve's sponsors with the #62 so it appears he took them with him when he left Orleans Racing. Being able to bring sponsorship with him for those two races is probably what got him into the #67, just as Scott bringing sponsorship got him into the #62 for the rest of the season. What I'm wondering about is whether South Padre Island was slated to be the primary sponsor on the #62 truck for the race in Texas prior to Steve being released as they had been earlier in the season. I would assume not otherwise Orleans Racing wouldn't be talking about a lack of outside funding leading to them having to pull the #62 off the track since clearly an outside sponsor brings in money. Still, it's interesting that they went with Steve to Bill Davis Racing so readily, if money was such a big problem at Orleans Racing why weren't they approached to sponsor the #62 for at least the race in Texas?
I should also mention that some fans aren't looking too kindly at Scott for taking Steve's place in the #62. Fans often seem to hold a grudge against the person who takes their favorite driver's seat in a ride they're released from. But I have no ill will towards Scott. He saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. This is an extremely difficult sport to break into and young drivers can't pass up those kinds of chances. The one drawback to the way that Scott ended up in the ride is that there is some stigma attached to when it seems like a driver buys a ride via their family paying whatever money is needed to get them into that ride. That makes some people feel that the driver isn't getting the ride on their own merits but rather because they have money to pay their way. My feeling is that no team is going to put someone behind the wheel that doesn't belong there regardless of how much money or sponsorship they might bring to the table but in some people's minds Scott might have an uphill battle to fight that perception. Particularly after this past weekend's race where it seemed as if he was in the midst of several incidents. I think some fans take joy out of seeing him struggle but I don't wish tough times on anyone. I don't think Steve had it easy in the #62 truck this season and Scott might not either for the remaining four races.
In any event, I'm extremely happy for Steve that he's going to be back on the track for the next two races! I'm not going to get my hopes up too high since everything has come together so quickly that it might be difficult to make this truck as competitive as they'd like it to be. But I'd be happy with solid runs to make Steve feel good about himself and about his prospects for the future. I hope he enjoys himself and has a lot of fun racing in Atlanta and Texas!
Posted by silverdsl at October 26, 2005 08:08 AM