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Driver waits for his vision to return totally before competing again.
By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 23, 2002
Steve Park is in a new kind of race.
In this one, he cannot mash the accelerator. He must fight the urge to speed up, because that will slow his progress. This is an endurance race.
That much Park sees clearly.
Injured nearly six months ago in a freak accident, Park is itching to get back to Winston Cup racing. But he must wait out a healing process that has no timetable. He must wait until his vision clears -- completely.
When will that be?
"Who knows?" Park said.
"It's tough. No doctor can put his or her finger on when you're healed. It's just a matter of time. ... I'm going to wait until I heal up because I could win (before) and I want to come help the team win again. That's the bottom line."
Park, 34, suffered a concussion in a bizarre accident during a Busch Grand National race Sept. 2 at Darlington. After a rain delay, the field was turning caution laps when Park's No. 31 turned sharply to the left and down the track, where it was struck on the driver's side by Larry Foyt's car.
Speculation is that Park's steering wheel was not snapped into place after the delay and came off in his hands. Park does not remember.
An MRI revealed bruising to Park's brain, the lingering effect of which was blurred vision. Park worked with doctors four hours a day to bring things into focus. He got glasses. And though the rehab work is done, his distance vision remains blurry. Doctors tell him that, with time, his vision will be restored completely. They just cannot tell him when.
So, he waits.
"I'm ready to get back in a race car," he said. "Obviously, the glasses have helped. Up close, it's 20/17, but far away it's just a little bit foggy. So, to answer all questions about when I'm going to get back in the Pennzoil car, it'll be a matter of waiting for the vision to clear up."
Since the accident, Kenny Wallace has driven the No. 1 Chevrolet fielded by Dale Earnhardt Inc. with solid results. Wallace is under contract with DEI for the season with the understanding he will relinquish the wheel to Park when he returns.
Park is especially disappointed not to drive this weekend. Last year, his victory at Rockingham one week after Earnhardt died in the Daytona 500 was a healing experience for NASCAR and its fans. Sunday, the No. 1 car will race without him.
"It's been tough," Park said. "It's hard to sit and not do what you love to do, and watch someone else get in your car."
Winston Cup driver Ricky Craven, whose career nearly was ended by a series of concussions in 1997, cautioned Park not to return too soon. Craven, who recently visited Park, still had the effects of post-concussion syndrome when he came back. Another accident set him back even further.
"He sounds great; he looks great," Craven said of Park. "But if he's anything short of 100 percent, he's going to have to wait. If he can do that -- and I believe he can because he has support at home, the support of DEI and he's young and smart -- he's going to pick up where he left off. Otherwise, he's just not going to be able to perform. You cannot come back unless you're 100 percent because you will be exposed."
Park got back into a race car for the first time in early January, testing a Legends series car at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Doctors and crew chief Paul Andrews were present, adding to Park's nervousness.
All went well.
"You had the uncertainty of, "Can you focus? Can you have good depth perception?' And it was great. The tests went well," Park said. "I had confidence to go out and we turned laps within a tenth of a second of the fast laps. I think it showed to Paul that I was back. It was the best day I'd had in 41/2 months."
On Jan. 28, Park tested the No. 1 Chevrolet at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C. He did not experience any vision problems or dizziness during the daylong session, which included a 50-lap run on the .455-mile oval. His return to Winston Cup, he said, is just around the corner.
"To come back you need to run fast laps," Park said. "You need to prove to your crew chief that you're capable of winning and to other competitors that you're not going to put yourself or anybody else in danger."
Craven completed his comeback last season with his first win at Martinsville. Park understands that to return to top form he must wait until his body is ready.
But he is only so patient.
"I'm not going to sit back," Park said. "I've been in the gym every day of the week. I'm going now so that when I heal up from the accident, everything else will be ready to go."