Interesting News Items...

General Lee 01 · July 8, 2002

Did you guys see all that crap on the Backstretch on the last two laps under caution?

From Jayski's:

Morons throw stuff on track: was wondering what the heck was all over the track on the last lap, TV showed all the cars dodging objects on the backstretch of the track. From ThatsRacin.com: Although most Winston Cup drivers agreed there was not enough time remaining in Saturday night's Pepsi 400 for NASCAR to use a red flag to ensure a green-flag finish, apparently some fans disagreed. The caution came out on Lap 158 of 160 for a multicar accident. With safety crews still working on removing cars from the backstretch, NASCAR allowed the race to end under caution with Michael Waltrip the winner. When it appeared the red flag was not coming out, hundreds of fans on the backstretch threw seat cushions, beverage containers and more onto the track. "I know one thing, with two laps to go all those people on the back straightaway - and I don't know who triggered it - they threw every seat cushion they had on the back straightaway and there was no way we were going to get the race going again," said Rusty Wallace, who finished second. "I don't know what that was about," Jeff Gordon said. "I ran through it real fast and sent it all over the place. And it was just the backstraightaway people." NASCAR officials said not enough laps remained in the race to red flag it and attempt to end it under green. "We were down to the end and as it turned out with our passionate fans, things got a little crazy," said NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter. Wallace called the decision not to use the red flag, "the smartest thing that ever happened. You just don't want to restart races with three laps to go on a superspeedway. It can be very, very dangerous. Not because I was running second, it was just a real smart thing to do," he said.

Steve Park said something in his "Post-wreck" interview that caught my my attention, I thought maybe he just slipped the tongue, but I guess not.

From Jayski's:

Park Not Happy: Steve Park said Friday he is not a second-rate driver and will not be "strung along" by Dale Earnhardt Inc. or any other Winston Cup team. Park's future at DEI has been clouded since his return to the series at Darlington, S.C., in March of this season. He suffered a serious head injury from a wreck in the BGN race at Darlington last September. "If they have ideas or Plan A of what they want and it don't work out, I'm not going to be around for them to fall back on. If they decide I'm good for the team and we're going to stick together and try to win races, then that's fine," Park said. Park said he is a "free agent" as far as next season goes. He said until June 15, DEI had the right of first refusal as far as signing a contract. Now, he is free to sign with DEI or another team. "They talked about a one-year deal. With a one-year deal, this time next year we'll be in the same exact boat and that don't interest me," Park said. "Either I'm the driver and you have the confidence that I can get the job done, or get somebody else." See full story at ThatsRacin.com and see A candid talk with driver Steve Park.(7-5-2002)

UPDATE: Even though Pennzoil is coming back for another year as sponsor of the #1 car, driver Park's future is still being evaluated. Park told the Associated Press Friday that he's unhappy with his role at DEI.

Elwood · July 9, 2002

"That's a shame 200 people make 100,000 look bad, it's certainly uncalled for and unacceptable.'' -- Jeff Burton

"I thought they were congratulating me,'' he said. ``I thought it was like a ticker-tape parade. You mean they were mad? I'm so stupid sometimes.'' -- Michael Waltrip