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September 24, 2006
Steve Park Working on a New Ride
How many times have we heard that over the last year? This weekend at Dover, Steve Park said,
"We're looking to get back full time in '07 or '08 and hopefully we'll be able to make an announcement in a month. We're not looking at Cup because of the money factor. Trucks is what we originally looked at but now they're contemplating going to the Busch Series."
I'd love to get excited for Steve, but let's face it, he's talked about being close to having a ride and being able to make an announcement in a month's time before. So really, there's no telling if this deal is actually anywhere near close to happening this time, or whether it's yet another time that Steve and everyone else is going to get their hopes up, only to be disappointed. From the sounds of it, whatever he's working on might not be full-time in 2007, with the goal of not going full-time until 2008. I have to say that with how many obstacles part-time teams face, that part-time might not be such a great idea. It's very hard to put together a solid full-time team, particularly if this were to be a new team, but they would at least have a shot at racing their way into the top 35 in owner's points and getting a guaranteed spot, something a part-time team can't do. But the money might not be there to go full-time at first.
But that's if this ride actually materializes. Sometimes I wish that Steve wouldn't say much more than a vague "I'm weighing my options for the future in Trucks and Busch and I'll have an annoucement as soon as everything is finalized." Because when he puts a time-table on things, it leads to people having expectations of an announcement in a few weeks, and disappointment when it doesn't happen. I also think it's bad mojo to say too much about a deal before it's done. That especially seems to be true in Steve's case since he made reference quite often to fans and the media about the deal he was working on for a truck ride with Bill Davis Racing that fell apart. And whatever this deal is may very well fall apart too. That's not a reflection on Steve, that's simply the way things work as he knows well - what seems like a sure thing one day, can crumble to pieces the next.
So I'll just take this for what it is - Steve is talking to a team and/or sponsor about possiblities for the future. No more, no less. Maybe it'll turn into something great for him, maybe it won't, but I hope that things play out for him in the way that they should.
Posted by silverdsl at September 24, 2006 01:44 AM