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Steve Park Post Race Report - Vegas
After a 12th place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway, Steve Park was fired up to get to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and hand Orleans Racing the kind of performance they really deserve in their own backyard.
But all the determination in the world couldn't overcome the hand he was dealt in the 20th race of the season.
The first blow came early in the day when a medical emergency forced crew chief Charlie Wilson and his son Lance to leave the racetrack and return home to Bakersfield, CA.
With Danny Stockman filling in for Wilson on the pit box, the team was eager and determined to race for their second victory of the season. Stockman got an experienced ear to bounce ideas off of when the crew chief of the No. 77, Tony Liberati, joined the Orleans Racing team after Brendan Gaughan’s night ended early.
Park easily bounced back from a flat tire early in the race and managed to rally his way back into the top 10 and eventually into the lead while the fans in stands cheered him on.
On Lap 106, Park hit pit road for a scheduled pit stop under green but when the caution flew just five laps later he was trapped a lap behind the leaders.
Park drove the wheels off his No. 62 Dodge in an attempt to make up the deficit but as he worked the traffic on the backstretch with two laps to go, his truck jumped sideways and his night ended early with a single car incident.
Thankfully Park was not injured in the accident but the same could not be said for his brand new race truck, which was hauled back to a garage.
Park was given credit for a 30th place finish and ended a four-race streak of finishing 18th or better.
Orleans Racing will have the next three weeks to recoup while the Truck Series takes a short hiatus. The teams will resume on-track action with a short track race on October 22nd at Martinsville Speedway.
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