By Compiled from Times wires
Published May 9, 2003
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Steve Park was hired Thursday to drive for Richard Childress Racing, the team that fielded cars for the late Dale Earnhardt.
Park was fired Tuesday at Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he was the first Winston Cup driver the late car owner hired.
Now he will drive the No. 30 Chevrolet for Richard Childress, Earnhardt's longtime boss.
"A mentor like Richard and a change of scenery is something I'm really looking forward to," Park said.
Park takes over for Jeff Green, who was fired Monday but essentially swapped jobs with Park when DEI hired him for the No. 1 Chevrolet.
Earnhardt put Park in a Winston Cup car after Park won the 1997 Busch Series rookie of the year title driving for Earnhardt. Park made his Winston Cup debut the next season, but ran just 17 events because he was injured in a crash.
He gave Earnhardt his first win as a Winston Cup owner at Watkins Glen, N.Y., in 2000.
Park's only other victory came in 2001 at North Carolina Speedway, one week after Earnhardt's death in a crash at the Daytona 500.
Six months later, Park was seriously injured in a crash at Darlington. Park bruised his brain and was sidelined seven months, and he has struggled since his return in March 2002.
NADEAU UPGRADED: Jerry Nadeau was upgraded to fair and moved out of intensive care six days after he was critically injured in a crash at Richmond International Raceway.
A team spokesman said Nadeau's vital signs are normal.
Nadeau sustained head, lung and rib injures in an accident during practice when his car slammed driver's side first into the concrete wall at the track.
FOYT GRANDSON CRASHES: A.J. Foyt IV escaped injury when he crashed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice for the Indy 500.
Foyt, a rookie driving for his grandfather, a four-time Indy champion, was cleared to continue practicing.
Rookie Dan Wheldon had the top speed during Thursday's session, going 232.202 mph to post the fastest lap of the week.
