On this episode of NASCAR'S BIGGEST WHAT IF'S, we go back to the 1998 Nascar Cup Series season. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated had just made the jump up to the Nascar Cup Series with Steve Park behind the wheel of the team's #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet. It was both the team and Park's rookie season in the Cup Series. Park was off to a difficult start to his rookie campaign, when during practice for race 4 in Atlanta, he would suffer a tire failure. This left him with the a list of injuries forcing him out of the racecar.
Now on the other end of this discussion was Darrell Waltrip, an 84 time Cup Series winner and 3 time Cup Series champion. While Park was just starting his Nascar Cup Series career, Waltrip was entering the final stages of his career. At the end of an over 7 year stint as an owner/driver. Due to lack of performance and his new sponsor not paying what they originally agreed too, Waltrip sold his team to Tim Beverly after just 5 races into the 1998 Nascar Cup Series season.
This would leave both Earnhardt and Waltrip in a bind going forward, until Dale asked Darrell to fill in for Park until he was cleared to race again. Waltrip jumped at the chance to not only drive for someone who had become a close friend over there years racing each other, but also to have the opportunity to drive more competitive equipment than he had in a couple seasons. In the 13 races Waltrip was behind the wheel of DEI's #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, he experienced a career resurgence. Qualifying better, running in the top 5 and top 10, even scoring the final top 5 and final 2 top 10s of his career. Even almost winning the race at Pocono before fellow Owensboro, Kentucky native Jeremy Mayfield got passed and won his first career Nascar Cup Series race. Park would return at Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. But what if he didn't return to the #1 team, and like the rumor at the time, the team expanded to a 2 car team.
Leaving Waltrip to finish out the 1998 Nascar Cup Series season behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet. In this video I have laid out how I think the remainder of the 1998 would have went had Waltrip stayed in the #1. Of course Park being a rookie that in fact needed to get as much track time as he could fit into the rest of the 1998 season, would be behind the wheel of the team's second car, let's say a #01 Pennzoil Chevrolet.
Let me know what you think of this format and perhaps we can do more videos such as these.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
Lee Johnson Collection
Getty Images
YouTube.com
Fuller Motorsports and Collectibles
bridgeman images
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