azapro911 Yell 911 he had a major concussion,and I seen a interview months later and he was still not all there.His steering wheel came off. What a freak accident?
Steve Park's Cup Standings: 1999: 14th 2000: 11th 2001: 10th (at the time of this wreck) 2002: 33rd 2003: 32nd This wreck pretty much ended his promising career.
I was there. There was a rain delay just prior to this accident. Race stopped. Can't remember if the drivers got out of the cars. It appears that Steve never had the steering wheel fully locked down onto the spline when the cars restarted.
That blue tarp...Something race fans hope to never have to see and never forget if they have to. I'll never forget that day...I was half in love with Steve and that wreck scared me so much especially after Dale. And they fact that we got jerked around for a long time by NASCAR and DEI as to Steve's condition. It wasn't until years later that we found out the true severity of his injuries. And I knew the first interview he gave after he came back that he had been hurt worse than they let on.
Back then (not sure if it still is now, but seeing what Jr. did a few years ago tells me it probably isn't) it was part of the system for the cars to just default to steering left if the wheel wasn't on or it felt the wheel wasn't locked into place for whatever reason. Some sort of failure in that system is what caused Mark Martin to veer into Jimmie Johnson in the fall Talladega race the next year during the parade laps
What a sad day for Steve Park fans. Steve has made a full recovery and is having the time of his life now racing in a division that has awesome racing. Just watched him win the pole and dominate the field for over 3/4 of the race on July 10 2009. What a great guy and a great driver.
It's been 15 years since this wreck and I still think about it. This is the first time I've ever looked it up. I hope he's doing alright after all this time and is well off financially. He was a good racer.
MurphyMonster He was the worst. Called phantom damage on Michael Waltrip in the 2001 Pepsi 400, couldnt have been a more obvious Jeff Gordon fan anytime the 24 crashed.
Yes, but wouldn't you be pissed too if Dan Pardus actually did punt Park during a caution lap that caused that horrible wreck. Thank God he didn't but I would want Pardus to explain himself if he did that.
I think Steve Park would have been a super star.That why Dale Sr. hired him as a driver. Nice to hear Benny's voice. Can't believe that was more then 10 years ago.
I was at this race sitting right in front of it. It was the most odd looking freak deal I had ever seen. How sharply and suddenly Park jerked left, and the fact we all saw Foyt coming, to the sound the impact made and silence afterwards was memorable and awful. I wish that there was a camera angle that showed this from the top of the covered grandstands
Between wanting laps. And back in those days if a driver wasn’t breathing they would red flag it. They ask bill why back in 2001 and he said they wanted to let people know he wasn’t killed instantly which is what was happening back then. Or in 2000 not just nascar but arca etc. it was a bloody as the 64’ season or one of the 60’s I’m not gonna look it up but I think it was 64’ -69’they had a 2000 lookalike season on deaths.
this really messed steve park up, i remember hearing him talk and he was definitely slower and slurred his speech. i didnt think he survived it at first
Horrifying crash. Very glad this wasn't a deadly accident... I mean, it pretty much ended his career obviously, but holy shit. He's lucky it didn't kill him. :/
I agree, to a point, Lindsey. If Steve Park did suffer a TBI/closed head injury that wasn't really that obvious to those who didn't know him, it's likely there were personality changes. Those can be hard for family and friends to deal with, especially if they're long-term/permanent. Many a family has fallen apart because of TBI/closed head injury that has irreparably changed a person's personality.
I remember watching this race I was 13 years old at the time and remember thinking he's dead as soon as I saw the blue tarp blocking the view of the car. He's had some of the worst luck/crashes in NASCAR history.
Had to be nerve-racking every time they returned from commercial and Steve still not extracted, especially given the recent fatalities during that period of time
It's true. Steve showed the he had potential by winning a couple of races. His win at The Rock in 2001 is still one of my favorite moments. It just seemed like every time he got going, he got into some of the worst wrecks of any driver I've ever seen. It's a damn shame that he never got to try to become a consistent contender.
What a freaky accident, almost like the universe just had it in for him, nobody hit him and he spontaneously just jumps out of line like that and it ends up costing him his entire career which was so promising.
I was on the pit crew for Larry Foyt at the time this happened and what he said he had no time to hit the brakes to even slow the car down some before impact
@@daleoleary9484 why is that so hard to believe i live in North Carolina and ALLOT of people around here have worked on NASCAR teams either on pit crews or at one of the race shops I've known several, just about all of the teams are based here in Charlotte or close by so it's no big deal around here.
he is still showing the effects of this wreck to this day, his speech is slurred slightly from it, he has admitted himself that he will never fully heal the brain injuries received from this wreck
If you're unaware, Steve Park pulled on his steering wheel just to make sure it was secured. It wasn't tightened down and completely came out causing the car to turn. He said he never saw Foyt coming.
i'd been waiting for someone to post this... park always had the worst luck, he really could have been great he still is great, but...he could have been a champ
Rob Moroso, Tim Richmond, Alan Kulwicki, Davy Allison. Park is a what if, but these guys where amazing drivers and could have won a lot of championships. We"ll never know.
I remember watching him race at Riverhead Raceway back in the day in the modified division. Man could he drive. Shame he had all this bad luck. It was awesome to watch him win last week at Daytona in the Modifieds again. Started 30th on a terribly designed track and won. Also, it was great to hear his victory lane celebration without that slurred speech after this wreck. Good to see him doing well again.
Park was never the same after this, a lot of potential got left in that freak accident. The steering wheel coming loose in the modern era is as "freak" as it gets.
Probably thehe strangest crash in the Nationwide Series I've ever seen. Not so much the part failure, but it happened during caution, and the impact with Larry Foyt. Steve Park was very lucky that this or any of his terrible crashes didn't kill him.
You can tell about half way through the video that they thought he was dead. Esspecially when his team hasent radioed to them and then the blue tarp. But at least he came back, and was good again but by the time he came back things were changing and was basically traded for Jeff green 30 car if anyone remembers.
you can see foyt slams on the brakes in the last shot you can see his black marks. and i heard that steve's steering locked up or his steering wheel got disconnected and stripped the locking mechanisms that keep the wheel on.
Atlanta 1998 Sonoma 1999 This One in 2001 Pocono 2002 ...I feel bad for him and I was glad that he drove at Daytona and actually wished that he finished in the top 10.
@winningfreak1 Brain damage can manifest in a variety of ways, and not necessarily in debilitating ways. Sometimes brain damage will leave a person in a vegatative state; sometimes it never turns into anything. Sometimes it manifests rather strangely, such as a person who acquires a foreign accent after brain damage; it can debilitating not physically but mentally. Brain damage can completely change a person's personality, alienating him from friends and family. It's a real shitty thing.
Liz Allison, Davy Allison wife, Joe diffie girlfriend at same time , Joe moved in davys house about a month after Davy died in his hometown of hueytown Alabama .
Normally suspension failure would happen at high speed, for it to happen here while the car is in a trundle behind the safety car is…quite frankly…bizarre
this really sucked for parks, he was one of the hot new drivers at the time and up until this point was tearing it up. it was only a matter of time and he would have been competing for championships, and then this shit happened and it ended his career. i also remember nascar never talking about it so all of us was just in the dark.
This is one of the most bizzare things I ever saw. Under a caution....the car just breaks loose and shoots left, exactly as Foyt was just getting there while catching up to the front. Just...wtf?
@InvisibleTeeth I read michael's book, the only negative thing he says about Park is that he didn't understand the draft like Dale, Dale Jr., and Michael, and I don't think there's anyone that can debate that. I honestly don't think DEI ever fielded a top car for anything but plate races. I'm not saying they had bad cars, just not Hendrick or Gibbs or Roush quality. I think if he had a shot in such a ride, he would have many more wins than he does.
unreal timing. how many times does a guy spin like that on the caution flag, and he does it right when larry foyt is coming to smack him in the driver side door.
@anthonystuart69 I still have a problem with that statement. At least for that race because a lap or 2 before the big one Steve was leading that race...and was drafting right behind Dale Sr. when it happened and we all agree how incredibly lucky(or unlucky in retrospect) Dale was not to be in that wreck.
It's easy to forget how good Park was before this accident, he never really recovered from it and understandably so.
amen
He is not the same driver though. That crash likely killed his reflexes for a long time.
azapro911 Yell 911 he had a major concussion,and I seen a interview months later and he was still not all there.His steering wheel came off. What a freak accident?
Steve Park's Cup Standings:
1999: 14th
2000: 11th
2001: 10th (at the time of this wreck)
2002: 33rd
2003: 32nd
This wreck pretty much ended his promising career.
1998: 41st
@@DupontandLowesWarrior in 1998, he broke his legs during a scary crash in Atlanta.
His flip at Pocono with Dale Jr. didn't help him either.
His flip at Pocono with Dale Jr. didn't help him either.
Park with No Inuries would have been a champion
I miss Benny and the real DEI: The boss Earnhardt Sr, Jr in the 8, Waltrip in the 15, and Park in the 1
I don't miss DEI!
I was there. There was a rain delay just prior to this accident. Race stopped. Can't remember if the drivers got out of the cars. It appears that Steve never had the steering wheel fully locked down onto the spline when the cars restarted.
That blue tarp...Something race fans hope to never have to see and never forget if they have to.
I'll never forget that day...I was half in love with Steve and that wreck scared me so much especially after Dale.
And they fact that we got jerked around for a long time by NASCAR and DEI as to Steve's condition. It wasn't until years later that we found out the true severity of his injuries. And I knew the first interview he gave after he came back that he had been hurt worse than they let on.
What does the tarp mean?
Driver injury or death brings out the blue tarp
For those folks that don't know, his steering wheel came off. If I remember correctly, it was locked in place and that's why it came off.
Happened twice this year. Need to find a way to fix that problem. Maybe something on digital dash
+Anthony Barbone I guess you watched the race today. What a race huh?
It did not fully engage because Steve forgot to connect it fully. It is basically a quick disconnect fitting, I believe.
wow, what a freak time to have that happen when a guy is flying up on the inside and to just happen to spin right in front of him
Back then (not sure if it still is now, but seeing what Jr. did a few years ago tells me it probably isn't) it was part of the system for the cars to just default to steering left if the wheel wasn't on or it felt the wheel wasn't locked into place for whatever reason. Some sort of failure in that system is what caused Mark Martin to veer into Jimmie Johnson in the fall Talladega race the next year during the parade laps
What a sad day for Steve Park fans. Steve has made a full recovery and is having the time of his life now racing in a division that has awesome racing. Just watched him win the pole and dominate the field for over 3/4 of the race on July 10 2009. What a great guy and a great driver.
Steve Park was my favorite driver in NASCAR during the original DEI era.
The Moment a Career practically ended
It's been 15 years since this wreck and I still think about it. This is the first time I've ever looked it up. I hope he's doing alright after all this time and is well off financially. He was a good racer.
I'm just glad that Larry Foyt and Steve Park did survive that terrible crash. Steve never fully recovered from the crash.
+Jakethe cool kid I don't think so
Maybe an ass from kicking grandpa AJ
Lol *****
JJ a minor concussion and a hand injury
Holy shit, Bestwick was about to call for Dan Pardus' head
Lmao he sure was.
MurphyMonster He was the worst. Called phantom damage on Michael Waltrip in the 2001 Pepsi 400, couldnt have been a more obvious Jeff Gordon fan anytime the 24 crashed.
Yes, but wouldn't you be pissed too if Dan Pardus actually did punt Park during a caution lap that caused that horrible wreck. Thank God he didn't but I would want Pardus to explain himself if he did that.
I think Steve Park would have been a super star.That why Dale Sr. hired him as a driver. Nice to hear Benny's voice. Can't believe that was more then 10 years ago.
jokersnotwild and now it’s 17 years later. Man Time flies
20 years now
@@gavinfunk7362funny how time flies
Your comment is 10 years ago 😂
@@user-ed1yx2fq7lWow, 10 years ago! Still a big NASCAR fan. I'm watching the 2023 Charlotte Raval qualifying right now.
I was at this race sitting right in front of it. It was the most odd looking freak deal I had ever seen. How sharply and suddenly Park jerked left, and the fact we all saw Foyt coming, to the sound the impact made and silence afterwards was memorable and awful. I wish that there was a camera angle that showed this from the top of the covered grandstands
I remember watching this live, we thought he was dead. Glad he okay.
Did nascar ever consider a red flag during this all
+Fred C seriously! they throw the red flag for a flat tire now. But a guy nearly dies and they keep them going
+David Muncy the Bill France Jr era was a different time
He was also well off the track and well blocked by safety officials, which is why they kept it under caution
David Muncy they didn’t red flag it because they just came out of red flag for rain. They were trying to get laps in
Between wanting laps. And back in those days if a driver wasn’t breathing they would red flag it. They ask bill why back in 2001 and he said they wanted to let people know he wasn’t killed instantly which is what was happening back then. Or in 2000 not just nascar but arca etc. it was a bloody as the 64’ season or one of the 60’s I’m not gonna look it up but I think it was 64’ -69’they had a 2000 lookalike season on deaths.
Won the pole and finished 2nd tonight at Thompson Speedway (CT)
this really messed steve park up, i remember hearing him talk and he was definitely slower and slurred his speech. i didnt think he survived it at first
Horrifying crash. Very glad this wasn't a deadly accident... I mean, it pretty much ended his career obviously, but holy shit. He's lucky it didn't kill him. :/
JCpatriots i bet he wishes it did. like was said never the same with good rides. he did win a truck race. said end to a promising careeer.
I agree, to a point, Lindsey. If Steve Park did suffer a TBI/closed head injury that wasn't really that obvious to those who didn't know him, it's likely there were personality changes. Those can be hard for family and friends to deal with, especially if they're long-term/permanent. Many a family has fallen apart because of TBI/closed head injury that has irreparably changed a person's personality.
And to think, this was the result of something as simple as his steering wheel coming undone.
thank god someone put this back up. it was here, then gone for like a year.
I remember watching this race I was 13 years old at the time and remember thinking he's dead as soon as I saw the blue tarp blocking the view of the car. He's had some of the worst luck/crashes in NASCAR history.
Had to be nerve-racking every time they returned from commercial and Steve still not extracted, especially given the recent fatalities during that period of time
I've seen all of the flips and blowovers and big ones there are, but this is the most unbelievable of all of them.
It's true. Steve showed the he had potential by winning a couple of races. His win at The Rock in 2001 is still one of my favorite moments. It just seemed like every time he got going, he got into some of the worst wrecks of any driver I've ever seen. It's a damn shame that he never got to try to become a consistent contender.
What a freaky accident, almost like the universe just had it in for him, nobody hit him and he spontaneously just jumps out of line like that and it ends up costing him his entire career which was so promising.
Finished 13th last in his first cup race in 7 years and the first time in a CoT. Was so happy for him.
I was on the pit crew for Larry Foyt at the time this happened and what he said he had no time to hit the brakes to even slow the car down some before impact
NcRowdy1 now i see he did use brakes in replay
You do not have time because that was a nearly blind turn there at that point. Hard hit to propel him into inside wall though that easily.
@@NcRowdy1 You was a pit crew member in NASCAR!?!?!? I can't believe you
@@daleoleary9484 why is that so hard to believe i live in North Carolina and ALLOT of people around here have worked on NASCAR teams either on pit crews or at one of the race shops I've known several, just about all of the teams are based here in Charlotte or close by so it's no big deal around here.
Larry hit the brakes but the car did not slow down enough. Too much speed delta.
steve park has GOT to be one of the most unlucky guys in NASCAR history. This wreck was unbelievable.
good ole Liz Allison reporting.
NewWorld Still pisses me off how she hooked up with Joe Diffie before Davey's body was even cold.
Dylan Hills I despise Liz Allison because of that
Well now Davey will have the chance to speak with Joe Diffie.
Larry had a concussion
i remember watching this on tv live it was horrible
yeah. they have to cover the cars in case they may be very injured.
This should be the example of why you don't run in a lower series if you're a cup driver.
Ruined Park's very good career.
he is still showing the effects of this wreck to this day, his speech is slurred slightly from it, he has admitted himself that he will never fully heal the brain injuries received from this wreck
If you're unaware, Steve Park pulled on his steering wheel just to make sure it was secured. It wasn't tightened down and completely came out causing the car to turn.
He said he never saw Foyt coming.
That would have been the spotters job. Wonder how the cards fell there.
i'd been waiting for someone to post this...
park always had the worst luck, he really could have been great
he still is great, but...he could have been a champ
Poor Steve Park. Guy is basically made of bad luck.
Great win last night congrats from east northport
I wonder what the drivers were thinking doing pace laps as they drove by that wreck lap after lap, especially after the brought out the blue tarp
Steve will always be the biggest "what-if" in the history of NASCAR.. such a shame..
Rob Moroso, Tim Richmond, Alan Kulwicki, Davy Allison. Park is a what if, but these guys where amazing drivers and could have won a lot of championships. We"ll never know.
I remember watching him race at Riverhead Raceway back in the day in the modified division. Man could he drive. Shame he had all this bad luck. It was awesome to watch him win last week at Daytona in the Modifieds again. Started 30th on a terribly designed track and won. Also, it was great to hear his victory lane celebration without that slurred speech after this wreck. Good to see him doing well again.
Park was never the same after this, a lot of potential got left in that freak accident. The steering wheel coming loose in the modern era is as "freak" as it gets.
I always thought that Bob, Benny, and Ned made a great team on ESPN's old Speedworld coverage.
jrm111881 Jrm they did (IMO)one of the very best!!!
@KissMyASSembly it was the backstretch... they pretty much never sell backstretch seats for NW/Busch races
THAT was a seriously hard hit
Probably thehe strangest crash in the Nationwide Series I've ever seen. Not so much the part failure, but it happened during caution, and the impact with Larry Foyt. Steve Park was very lucky that this or any of his terrible crashes didn't kill him.
steve had a promising career,this accident caused brain damage and he was never the same
This is bizzare. I wish Park would come back to NASCAR Truck, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup racing. He was just a cool guy to watch race.
RIP
The old Steve Park
His career, unfortunately, never fully recovered after this wreck. It's a shame too, he was a nice guy with a good personality.
one of the most bizarre moments in NASCAR history.
You can tell about half way through the video that they thought he was dead. Esspecially when his team hasent radioed to them and then the blue tarp. But at least he came back, and was good again but by the time he came back things were changing and was basically traded for Jeff green 30 car if anyone remembers.
Back when nascar had driver trades. Park to the 30. Jeff Green to the 1
I love Steve Park, but damn. God just had it out for him.
3 times.
1. This crash.
2. Pocono flip.
3. Infineon flip.
The Zachvolt and the Atlanta crash when he was a rookie
JD Brisentine
Just watched it. Sheesh...that's gotta be one horrible tire failure if it was one.
The Zachvolt He said later that it was a tire failure and his throttle hung because of it
What a stupid comment .
Dude Liz Allison was a tv broadcaster? That’s awesome
Yes, for a whole second
you can see foyt slams on the brakes in the last shot you can see his black marks. and i heard that steve's steering locked up or his steering wheel got disconnected and stripped the locking mechanisms that keep the wheel on.
Atlanta 1998
Sonoma 1999
This One in 2001
Pocono 2002
...I feel bad for him and I was glad that he drove at Daytona and actually wished that he finished in the top 10.
@winningfreak1 Brain damage can manifest in a variety of ways, and not necessarily in debilitating ways.
Sometimes brain damage will leave a person in a vegatative state; sometimes it never turns into anything. Sometimes it manifests rather strangely, such as a person who acquires a foreign accent after brain damage; it can debilitating not physically but mentally. Brain damage can completely change a person's personality, alienating him from friends and family.
It's a real shitty thing.
is there any Foyt not named Aj or Larry? lol
I think it's pretty egotistical to name your kids the same for more than 2 generations. AJ Foyt !V, Larry Foyt III
Mrs Foyt??
Poor Steve has the worst luck in Nascar history. :(
The accident that spelled the beginning of the end for Steve Park
Poor guy had the worst luck. Great driver
How many times can Alan Bestwick be wrong in one minute?
Man, God had it out for Steve Park...
he was never the same after this, he had so much talent to be discovered, freak accident too, steering locked up when someone was going full speed.
Had Steve and Ricky not had their bad accidents they're Racing Careers would've been different and better
@chromeequinox he was in rehab for 6 months, he was badly hurt. So it was 1 year and 1week later.
this was the beginning of the end of Parks upper teir nascar career.....
Ya, Steve took many hard hits in his career
Liz Allison, Davy Allison wife, Joe diffie girlfriend at same time , Joe moved in davys house about a month after Davy died in his hometown of hueytown Alabama .
Probably they thought at the time it was life-threatening.
Also to add, unless the track is near blocked, I don't believe historically, even for something like this, most racing series would throw a red flag.
the female reporter was liz allison Davey's wife
and this was under caution the patrick sheltra crash at daytona this year was at like 150 and he was sitting still. odd things
I think it was because the caution they was under was for a rain shower anyway, and they were afraid more rain might be coming.
Normally suspension failure would happen at high speed, for it to happen here while the car is in a trundle behind the safety car is…quite frankly…bizarre
Car veered left because his steering wheel came off
One of the biggest what could have been" in motorsport next to Felipe Massa Glad, he's alive though
Park is the most unlucky driver ever.
He was never the same after this crash.
That feeling when your controller disconnects.
this really sucked for parks, he was one of the hot new drivers at the time and up until this point was tearing it up. it was only a matter of time and he would have been competing for championships, and then this shit happened and it ended his career. i also remember nascar never talking about it so all of us was just in the dark.
@osubuckeyes14 Actually, it's Montoya, Park, Waltrip and Martin.
This is one of the most bizzare things I ever saw.
Under a caution....the car just breaks loose and shoots left, exactly as Foyt was just getting there while catching up to the front.
Just...wtf?
His steering wheel wasnt fastened correctly it came off as soon as he cleaned his tires
@InvisibleTeeth I read michael's book, the only negative thing he says about Park is that he didn't understand the draft like Dale, Dale Jr., and Michael, and I don't think there's anyone that can debate that. I honestly don't think DEI ever fielded a top car for anything but plate races. I'm not saying they had bad cars, just not Hendrick or Gibbs or Roush quality. I think if he had a shot in such a ride, he would have many more wins than he does.
What are the odds that parks wheel came off as Foyt came by
He was adjusting the steering wheel and it did not click back in
first time a blue tarp has been rolled out and the driver lived..the tarp is never a good sign
Until Ryan Newman’s Daytona crash!
unreal timing. how many times does a guy spin like that on the caution flag, and he does it right when larry foyt is coming to smack him in the driver side door.
@XLValenciaXL Park's steering wheel came off in Park's hand, causing the car to veer to the left.
@clintcheif2009 I can't believe he's still racing.
I remember watching this!
Damn. What unlucky timing there
Steering wheel came off
I was watching that one.
Man, Steven had the worst of luck in NASCAR
didnt his steering wheel fall off and cause this
@acenace24 I also miss Benny. The best commentator by far.
Because NASCAR has never made a mistake?
yup, still making some now for example THE CHASE
@anthonystuart69 I still have a problem with that statement. At least for that race because a lap or 2 before the big one Steve was leading that race...and was drafting right behind Dale Sr. when it happened and we all agree how incredibly lucky(or unlucky in retrospect) Dale was not to be in that wreck.
I still can't believe the cars are still going around.. like what? lol, yeah, miss ya BP...