Okay, so I’m well aware that Steve Park really comes from East Northport, NY – but for a few years he lived just two towns and a cow pasture away from me in Ellington, CT. You’ve all heard of Ellington before haven’t you, why it’s been home to Tommy Bolles for… well, a very long time.

I think it’s natural to pull for a driver because you know them or maybe your dad or someone you know works on the car. Perhaps you’re wife has an Aunt and Uncle that lives across the street from a car owner. (I do, Ted Marsh). Maybe you just like the number on the car or its sleek color scheme.

Well, whatever the reason may be – there’s always that driver that just so happens to live close by or even in your own hometown – more than likely your going to be pulling for him or her, hey - at a minimum you’ll at least be looking for where they finished. Right?

Right.

When Steve Park returns to the Stafford Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Fall Final, this race fan will be doing more than looking for where he qualifies and finishes, I’ll be giving him a big hand. Perhaps I’ll even get to shake it. Steve will have lots of folks cheering his return – and you can definitely count me in as one of them.

Sure, I remember when Steve was racing down at Riverhead, following in his fathers and uncle’s footsteps. But I also recall when Steve burst onto the Tour scene – and he did it with one hell of a bang.

Recently our resident historian Fitchburg Fan asked what we thought was our most memorable Thompson 300 – he picked out a couple of good ones, Cuyahoga Cuse picked out a pretty good one too. These were all on my short list. One that nobody mentioned was when this kid Steve Park came up to Thompson in 1991 and shocked the Northeast when he won the biggest race of the year.

My feeling at the time was – who is this kid? - What is this? – why, the nerve – he just comes up here, gets all fast and wins the freaking Thompson 300… steals the show in convincing fashion, beating the guys who had been racing at Thompson for years. I thought you had to put in your time and pay your dues around this historic 5/8 mile track before you could even think about visiting victory lane – you know, where all the legends have won – Bodine, Evans, Flemke, DeSarro, Stevens and Bourchard just to name a few.

Well Steve came, he saw, he conquered – and we all know what became of him, he caught the eye Dale Sr. and the rest is history. His stats during those Mod Tour years were impressive, enough so to impress “The Intimidator”. Hey, now remember - that was a big deal, getting picked like that by Dale. No Gong Show or lengthily development program. Steve spent a year plus in the Busch series, proved his stuff and went on to Cup where he was challenged and then continued to excel.

His Busch series crash at Darlington while “moonlighting” de-railed Steve’s racing career but he has fought hard to get back on track and when he won in his Craftsman Truck earlier this year – I, along with many Steve Park supporters, was thrilled. Folks said he couldn’t do it, that he was damaged goods… but he did it and his perseverance paid off – and good for him. After all, Steve came from the Modified Tour and we always like to see our graduates do well – especially ones that live or lived, in or near our Hometowns.

We love it when guys like Geoff Bodine come back and get racy in a Modified. Hell, Geoff nearly stole the Pole in his return up in NH during a 2002 return. Mod superstars, Mike “Magic Shoes” McLaughlin and “Superman” Greg Sacks have come back in the past and now Steve will again get to do the same. (Steve did run NHIS last year in the Whelen/Brady Modified.)

Whoever put this deal together – I’d like to say, well done – it will be a great treat for the fans and I’m sure it will be a thrill for Steve. I mean – who wouldn’t want to get out of a Taxi Cab or a Truck and buckle into a real racecar – a low slung, ground pounding Whelen Tour Modified. I bet Steve is excited. I’m excited for him.

Steve’s website says he resides in Daytona, FL now. When this weekend rolls around, I doubt those in Daytona will be as excited as those Park fans from East Northport and neighboring towns on the Island are. And let’s not forget those fans in and around Ellington, CT.

Where you come from, where you live – it’s part of who you are, and if you’re like me – it’s tied to who you pull for and like to see do well. OK, so I don’t really have a Tour driver that actually lives in my town – but pretty close. Close enough.

Now there are some towns that I’ve never been too and probably never will for that matter – but these Hometowns will always be synonymous with a Hero that once hug their helmet there or at least showered there between races. What do you say we try a little “town association?”

You say…Rome – I say Evans.. OK, so Jerry Cook came from there too, but…

Fitchburg – Bouchard’s
Rocky Mount – Worley
Yaphank - Anderson
Auburn – Fuller’s
Waterloo – McLaughlin
(Enter your town here –????)
Rehoboth - Stevens
Shrewsbury - Caruso
Southington – Flemke
Coventry – Stefanik
Hammonton ... “The racing schoolteacher from Hammonton, NJ – Tony Sicsone”...

Obviously some announcers still echo in my mind. They haunt me...

Now mind you – these towns aren’t big vacation hot spots or vital metropolitan locations (not that I’m aware of anyway) – but these drivers helped put these towns on the map, in the news and apparently – permanently etched in my brain.

When I started going to the races, I always liked to see Tommy Bolles do well – Today, I still pull for Tom as well as my other local drivers – Jeff Malave, Rob Summers, Renee Dupuis and Dave Etheridge – they all live pretty close, or “close enough”, so naturally I give them a hand. I mean, if I were a driver – I’d like to think they’d be rooting for me - Right?

Right.

So when Steve Park returns to Stafford, they may introduce him as residing in Daytona – but I’ll still think of him as being a hometown hero and coming from Ellington, CT…… and you can bet I’ll be rooting for him.

Go Steve!!

Send mail to: Chris Goldsnider