Steve Park Rules!

Steve Park Pre-Race St. Louis

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200

Gateway International Raceway, July 17, 2004

Source: Orleans Racing
Kimberly Meesters
Date: 07/13/2004

LAS VEGAS, Tuesday, July 13, 2004 – The following pre-race notes, quotes and statistics are for Steve Park, driver of the No. 62 Orleans Dodge in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, prior to the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway July 17.

PRE-RACE NOTES:

The No. 62 Dodge will carry Casino Queen logos at St. Louis. Team owner Michael Gaughan owns the Casino Queen, which is located in nearby East St. Louis, Ill. The Casino Queen is a four-story replica of a 19th-century side-wheel riverboat. The boat boasts 28,000 square-feet of casino gaming space over three decks, more than 1,000 slot and video-poker machines and table games such as Blackjack, Craps, Roulette and more. In addition to the casino, the property has our restaurants and a 150-room, seven-suite hotel offering views of the Gateway Arch and St. Louis skyline.

Orleans Racing won this event last year with Brendan Gaughan driving.

Park has two top-five and three top-10 finishes in the last three races.

The primary Dodge for St. Louis is the 12 truck. It is the same truck Park drove when he finished fourth in Milwaukee last month.

Park will sign autographs July 15 from 8-8:30 p.m. at The Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Ill.

This will be Park's third start at Gateway. His two previous starts were in the NASCAR Busch Series. This will be his first Craftsman Truck Series start at Gateway. This will be the fourth start for Orleans Racing at Gateway and the 69th Craftsman Truck Series start for the team.

Park is 12th in points after 11 races. He finished 27th in Daytona, 12th in Atlanta, 26th in Martinsville, 27th in Mansfield, 12th in Charlotte, 13th in Dover, 10th at Texas, 11th at Memphis, fourth at Milwaukee, fourth at Kansas and sixth at Kentucky.

PRE-RACE QUOTE FROM STEVE PARK: “I remember racing at Gateway in 1997, and it was the hottest race ever. We raced during the day, and I think that race is why they race at night now. I like the track. Martinsville is usually described as two dragstrips with a U-turn, but Gateway is by far more like that description. It has long straightaways with tight corners. You tend to shift more. I will have a lot of time in St. Louis . I went straight from Kentucky to St. Louis. Then Mike Skinner and his wife met me in St. Louis Monday. It is great having the opportunity to be at the Casino Queen. It is a fabulous hotel and casino. This is my first time to visit it. It is really nice. The rooms overlook the Gateway Arch. Since we are spending the week here, we plan on going to downtown St. Louis. There are a lot of interesting places to go and see. We might even venture over to the Arch.”