Park Not Ready? Wallace to Stay? 4th DEI car? UPDATE 3 Kenny signs with DEI but: There’s nothing official yet, but it appears that Steve Park may not be ready to run in next year’s season-opening Daytona 500. Ty Norris, who runs Dale Earnhardt Inc. with Teresa Earnhardt, isn’t saying much about Park, who was injured at Darlington in September, but insiders said that this week’s scheduled announcement in Atlanta could be to say that Kenny Wallace will continue running the DEI car for Park next spring and that when Park does come back, it will be in a second Pennzoil-sponsored car.(Winston Salem Journal) AND Though team representatives have said that Park’s recovery is proceeding well if somewhat slowly, there is still no clear idea if Park will be able to drive the car in Daytona next February. As a result, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has set a deadline of this week to come to a decision about who will be driving the car at the start of next season. A spokesman for DEI said Sunday that an announcement will be made later this week in Atlanta. Kenny Wallace, who has two top-10 finishes in his past three starts in place of Park, is expected to be named to drive the car until such time as Park is able to return(CNN/SI)(11-12-2001) UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to announce 2002 plans for the #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet on Friday, November 16 at 9:30am/et at Atlanta Motor Speedway(Pennzoil PR)(11-15-2001) UPDATE 2: Kenny Wallace has signed a 1 year contract to drive with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) and Pennzoil. Wallace will compete in the 2002 season with the #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet until Steve Park returns to DEI. At that point he may run selected or all the events in a fourth DEI car. Kenny Wallace and IMI will compete in the 2002 BGN series, running 22 races the #48 Chevrolet.(Kenny Wallace Racing Site)(11-16-2001) UPDATE 3: Norris said that Wallace is guaranteed a ride in a DEI car only in the season-opening Bud Shootout at Daytona and that if Park is ready to return when the 2002 season opens the team would not field four Cup cars on a full-time basis.(That’s Racin’) AND The contract guarantees Wallace nothing except a ride in the 2002 Budweiser Shootout, but he will be paid handsomely. The money and a shot at winning convinced Wallace not to accept a two-year deal to drive for another team, apparently A.J. Foyts.[#14](Gaston Gazette)(11-17-2001)
