Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Victory lane is the goal for Park’s new crew chief

Friday, June 18, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Charlie Wilson, who guided Scott Lynch to the NASCAR Winston West championship last season, has been named crew chief of the Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing Dodge truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Wilson, 48, had served as interim crew chief on the truck, driven by Steve Park, for the past three races after Johnny Allen was released from his duties in May. Park is coming off his best finish of the season, a 10th-place effort last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

"I am very happy that the team even considered me for the position," Wilson said. "When I joined Orleans Racing, I made it a goal to become the crew chief of the second truck that Scott Lynch drove (in two races last season). Now I'm very excited to have the opportunity to work with Steve Park.

"My main goal is to get Steve Park back to victory lane -- for Steve and for the team. We have spent a lot of time this season focusing on personnel issues. We are ready to put our focus back on the race trucks and to get back to the winning ways of last year."

Brendan Gaughan drove the No. 62 Orleans Racing Dodge to six victories and a fourth-place points finish last year. In January, Gaughan and crew chief Shane Wilson left Orleans Racing for the Penske-Jasper Racing team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Charlie Wilson had been doubling up the past month as the crew chief for both Lynch's NASCAR West Series car and Park's truck, but said he now would concentrate solely on the Craftsman Truck team, which races Saturday afternoon at Memphis Motorsports Park.

"I still have a special interest in the West team and Scott Lynch, but it is not physically possible for me to crew chief both teams," Wilson said. "We are looking to hire a full-time crew chief for the West team (but) I'll still help them as much as I can."

Lynch is sixth in the West standings, 85 points out of the lead, after four of 13 races.

But Childress said in an interview on the Speed Channel that Harvick did not make contact with Kenseth before the reigning champion spun into the infield. Kenseth came around and bumped Harvick from behind on the following caution lap.

"(NASCAR) should have sent (us) checks, but instead we got the royal shaft," Childress said. "Sure, Kevin has done some things in the past where we know we've been wrong and we've known what's happened. But at the end of the day, this one here was not Kevin's deal.

"I don't know what happened to Matt when he spun, but our car did not have a scratch on the nose and we told NASCAR to look at the black marks. They agreed with the black marks that Matt had tried to brake check Kevin and then he came back around and deliberately spun him -- I mean he drilled him. I'm pretty upset about it and terribly upset with NASCAR's decision."

Childress said he believed Harvick's reputation as an aggressive driver played into NASCAR's decision to fine him in this incident.

"Kevin's past caught him up a little," Childress said. "We knew he'd probably get a fine, but the equal penalties is what I am so upset about. All you've got to do is watch your TV ... and I like Matt; Matt's a great guy and a good champion but at the end of the day, I think NASCAR made a bad call."

In addition to the fines, NASCAR placed both Harvick and Kenseth on probation until Aug. 11.

Blaney replaced Johnny Sauter, who will remain under contract to RCR and will drive in selected Nextel Cup events this season, in the car for last weekend's race at Pocono.

"This sport has gotten so tough and complicated, sometimes tough decisions have to be made," Childress said. "Our sport is driven by business decisions and that is what this driver change is, a business decision. "Blaney has a strong, consistent driving style that will fit well with the No. 30 team. As a veteran racer, Dave will work well with our crew chief, Kevin Hamlin, to get the America Online Chevy up front."

In 13 races in the No. 30, Sauter's best finish was 14th (twice) and he is 30th in Nextel Cup points. Blaney, who drove in seven races this season for Bill Davis Racing, finished 29th last Sunday in Pocono in the No. 30.

Long, a 22-year-old resident of Oak Park, Calif., will be a guest driver in one of two factory-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars competing in the Porsche Michelin Supercup races Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After his Indy races, Long will compete next weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the following week at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut in American Le Mans Series events.

"Four races in four weeks, four new tracks, Le Mans and Indianapolis ... wow," Long said. "Just participating at Le Mans is an experience every race driver should have. Everyone from the townspeople to the track officials treat the drivers like kings, and the effort the White Lightning team put in to overcome some of our mechanical problems made the win really special."

"I'm not afraid nor feel I'm in any danger," Zanardi said. "Actually, I have an advantage because if something happens I will just need a tool in order to fix my leg."

Zanardi races for Team Italy-Spain in a BMW 320i that is equipped with specially designed hand controls.

Medeiros, who leads the IPS points standings after consecutive victories at Phoenix International Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turned the fastest lap of the test at 144.629 mph. Jesse Mason (Brian Stewart Racing) was second at 142.260 mph and Luyendyk was third at 142.069.

Also taking part in the test were Al Unser III, the 21-year-old son of Al Unser Jr., and former World of Outlaws driver P.J. Chesson. Unser III is driving for Keith Duesenberg Racing and Chesson for Mo Nunn Racing in the IPS.

While Unser posted the fourth-fastest lap of the test (141.394), Chesson's debut in the car resulted in contact with the Turn 4 wall that prematurely ended his test.

"All day we were taking baby steps, baby steps," Chesson said. "That was a pretty small step for me but a little high here, it's so flat, and it just picked up a little bit of a push early in the corner and kind of kept on going. It gets off in la-la land and there's no way to dig out of it.

"It was just one of those things when it starts to push a little bit here, I guess they just keep going. I'm not really bothered by it. I feel bad for all the guys who had to build them, and the time that went into the car, but the monkey is off our back now; we can pick up and go racing."

Chesson is set to make his Infiniti Pro Series debut July 3 at Kansas Speedway.

Jeffrey and Pfankuch hold a 20-point lead over fellow Class 1-2/1600 drivers and Las Vegas residents Rob MacCachren and Danny Anderson. Mark and C.J. Hutchins of Henderson lead Class 10 and are 11th overall and Troy Herbst of Las Vegas and Larry Roeseler of Hesperia, Calif., are 13th overall and fourth in Class 1.

The next SCORE off-road race is the ninth annual SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 in September.

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