All-star race marked on Park's calendar
Friday, Dec. 04, 2009
Perennial fan favorite Steve Park says he's looking forward to competing in NASCAR's late January all-star show at Irwindale, Calif.
Park finished 23rd in this season's Toyota All-Star Showdown, his first appearance at the half-mile track.
"It's a great facility, and the race track itself is real racy," Park said. "I think that's why you hear a lot of guys talk about how great it is to race out there. It brings the best of the East and the best of the West together."
The New York state native's win on Aug. 1 at Lowville, N.Y., assures his starting spot in 2010's all-star event, scheduled for Jan. 29-30. Park, a veteran of NASCAR competition at nearly every level, turned to Camping World Series East competition in 2008. This season he earned seven top-10 finishes was fifth in the final standings.
"It was great to get that win, get those seconds, finish fifth in the points and be competitive week-in and week-out," Park said.
"We really thought coming out of the box last year that we would be closer to where we were this year, and we weren't, so we stepped up the program a little bit."
Race winners in the East and West series will have starting spots in the seventh running of the all-star event, as will the champions in NASCAR's six regional touring series and the Whelen All-American Series.
The lineup will be set through time trials, limited provisionals for Camping World Series regulars, and a last-chance race. The 2010 bill also includes 100-lap Super Late Model and 75-lap Late Model races.
Both nights of racing will be live on Speed.
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