Park out 'indefinitely' with head injury.

Steve Park could be set to miss the remainder of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season after doctors advised him not to step back behind the wheel of a racing car for at least another month following his Busch Grand National accident last Saturday at Darlington.

Under the advise of doctors, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated NASCAR Winston Cup driver Steve Park will remain out of competition indefinitely as he heals from the moderate concussion he suffered during the Busch Series race in Darlington, S.C., on Sept. 1.

Dr. Jerry Petty, a neurological specialist at Carolinas Medical Centre, stated on Friday afternoon that Park would be unable to drive for "conservatively four to six weeks." Under the supervision of Dr. Petty, Park received further consultation and a second MRI this week revealed a bruising of the brain, which needs time to heal. Dr. Petty confirmed Park will make a full recovery.

Kenny Wallace, who will race in the No.1 Pennzoil Chevrolet this weekend in Richmond, will remain behind the wheel until Park returns. Wallace also drove the Monte Carlo during the Darlington event where he moved from 43rd to 12th before overheating forced him behind the wall.

"The doctors have Steve's best interest in mind and we completely support their decision," said Ty Norris, executive vice president of motorsports at DEI. "Our primary focus is getting Steve better and we want him to be healed before getting back in the car. Steve wants to race as soon as possible but knows it's better for him to be patient."

Wallace was originally scheduled to race the Loudon Winston Cup event for George deBidart but has been released from those duties.

"We really need to thank George for allowing Kenny to race for us," said Norris. "We are going to work with George when he decides to put Kenny in a Winston Cup race later in the season."

Wallace now has his best chance ever to succeed and win a race in the NASCAR Winston Cup but the former Andy Petree, Eel River and Fil Martocchi driver once again spoke of his regret over what happened to Park. "I think it all goes back to what I said at Darlington," said the younger brother of fellow NWC drivers Rusty and Mike. "I definitely don't want to be in this race car in this situation. Steve Park is a great race car driver and has just come off three or four top tens in a row.

"DEI is an incredible racing organization," he continued. "I'm going to keep this car up front and when Steve comes back, he's not going to miss a beat. This is still all about Steve Park. I've always had opportunities in my Winston Cup career, but never anything like this. This is what I call an 'upfront' car. And this is big. Kenny Schrader helped me to get over getting in a car with somebody being hurt. I told him it really made me feel weird to getting in a car with somebody being hurt. And he said, 'Kenny, somebody's going to get in that race car. You deserve it.' So I want to thank Kenny Schrader for helping me.

"Obviously Ty Norris has just been awesome to work with. I think he learned a lot from Dale Earnhardt. Little E has been awesome. Michael Waltrip has been awesome. We're going to make the best out of this for Steve. It's still all about Steve Park. I want to make sure Steve Park's family understands that I'm thinking about Steve through this whole thing. I'm not going to go out there and ham it up in his car. I'm going to go out there and put it up front, put it in Victory Lane, and it's all going to be for him."

On the possibility of him competing in a number of Winston Cup events for the team Wallace was more cautious. "I haven't really looked too much at the schedule. Ty Norris has been working real hard with Dr. Petty. They finally found out what they wanted to find out today. The only conflict there is that really won't be a conflict - and Steve might be back at this time - but we're looking at the Martinsville / Memphis situation. But I can't think of a place that this car runs poorly at. It might mean missing a little bit of practice in the Winston Cup car. George deBidart, my Busch car owner, is the best. He and Ty have worked closely on this. I'm sure we'll work out any conflicts."

"I talked to Steve Sunday night on my way home. He was tired. I told him I was thinking about him and he was totally cool. The whole time I was thinking about Steve I was thinking about myself in '91, when I lost the Busch championship to Bobby Labonte (due to) positional vertigo. I can't tell how bad I feel for him because I know a head injury - bruising of the brain - is just not fun."

Having recovered from a similar type of injury to that of Park's, Wallace also understands the need to ensure that Steve is fully 100 per cent when he does return. "Realistically, I was racing but I was out about six months," said Wallace of his recuperation time. "It knocked the stuff out of me. Rusty (Wallace) had to drive the car at Rockingham and we lost the championship to Bobby by 30 points or something like that. So I know what Steve's feeling like right now."

"That's the thing about Steve. There's times when people get in your cars and you can be a little resentful. But I don't think Steve's going to feel like that at all. He didn't say much to me. He was pretty tired. It was Sunday night. We didn't talk much. Since then, he's been doing a lot of testing. I tried calling his mother, Dotty, and she's been with her son."

On his chances of a maiden Winston Cup victory on Saturday at Richmond, Wallace is confident that his equipment can help him achieve his goal. "I better be able to win this race or I shouldn't be able to be in that race car. I better have the ability. I'm going to do it," he said.

With just ten races remaining on the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule, Park and the team may decide to cross the page on this season and focus on returning stronger and more prepared than ever in 2002. Park is almost certain to drop out of the top 20 in points if he misses the projected six races and a couple of token appearances towards the end of the season could do more harm than good if Park is just a little premature in his return.

Park has missed races before due to injury and was sidelined for a total of 15 races in his rookie season (1998) after badly injuring his legs in a practice crash at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Having bounced back from injury before Park has the mental strength to return once again and he may feel that he would be better served in taking extra time to fully convalesce and loaning his seat to Wallace for the remainder of the year.