On the final lap Park was pushed from behind by Eric Goodale into race leader Mike Stefanik and inadvertently wound up winning the race. It was Park's first modified racing victory since 1996. Stefanik was visibly upset with the incident, calling it "just bullshit".
Park came to the Winston Cup Series as the driver for the No. 14 team of Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) in 1997. He attempted eight races in this car, qualifying for four of them. He also ran a race in the No. 40 car at Martinsville Speedway for Felix Sabates. In the 1998 season, Park switched to the No. 1 Chevrolet for DEI and drove the first two races, but he failed to qualify at the third race of the year at Las Vegas. During practice for the fourth event of the year at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Park suffered a tire failure and had three hard hits before his car came to rest. He sustained a broken leg, broken collarbone, broken shoulder blade, and two chipped front teeth. Park returned later in the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ran the rest of the year. He posted a best finish of 11th at Michigan and Dover.
In 1999, his first of only two full Sprint Cup seasons, Park finished 30 of 34 races. He went out with handling problems at Daytona and Charlotte, an engine failure at the other Daytona race, and a crash at Sears Point. In the Sears Point crash, Park spun around in turn two and backed into an embankment, thrusting his car up into the air and over onto the top of a tire barrier. Park posted a best finish of sixth in the Kmart 400 at Michigan and finished 14th in the point standings.
During the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Park would grab his first win at his home track of Watkins Glen, winning the 2000 Global Crossing @ The Glen.
In 2001, Park's year began with a frightening note in the Daytona 500, as his car was one of eighteen that were demolished in a pileup on lap 173 that also sent Tony Stewart flipping through the air. Park had led for several laps right before the crash. Although he was uninjured, Park pounded the roof of his car after climbing out. The crash would be overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash on the last lap.
Park missed the first four races in 2002, but he returned to race at the fifth race of the year at Darlington. He had many accidents, however. The largest incident was a flip at Pocono Raceway, where he spun into and was turned by his teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and hit the infield barrier with tremendous velocity, cause him to flip over. The race had a 65-minute red flag to repair the old-fashioned guardrail highway barrier that Park hit. The barriers were replaced afterwards.
At the end of the 2003 season, Park announced he would not return to the No. 30 car and would join the Craftsman Truck Series the following season. He joined Las Vegas-owned team Orleans Racing and piloted the No. 62 truck, vacated by Brendan Gaughan who was offered a ride in the No. 77 Nextel Cup car for Penske Racing. Although Park never won a race in 2004, he finished 9th in CTS driver points, and was voted Most Popular Driver by his peers.
In 2005 Park won the Craftsman Truck Series American Racing Wheels 200, the second race of the season at California Speedway, and became the tenth driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's top racing series (one of seven drivers to accomplish the feat in the 2005 season alone). However, Park and the team struggled the rest of the season, and in October, right before the truck race in Martinsville, Park and Orleans Racing parted ways due to Dodge pulling support and money to many truck teams.
In 2008 Park signed with NDS Motorsports and drove the No. 35 Monte Carlo in all 13 of the NASCAR Camping World East Series events. He finished 9th in the standings with his best finish being second place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
In 2009 Park returned to race in the No. 35 Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. He finished 5th in the point standings. Park made a single start in the Chevy for Corrie Stott Racing in the series, starting 31st and finishing 25th. On August 1, 2009, he won the Edge Hotel 150 at Adirondack International Speedway. It was his first East Series win since July 1, 1996 at Nazareth Speedway.
In late 2008, Park was married to longtime girlfriend, Jessica Skarpalezos at Sea Island, Georgia. On January 2, 2010, Park announced on his website the birth of his son Jayden Robert Park.
In October 2012, Park spoke to ESPN in support of IMPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) and other neurological testing for drivers in the wake of his former teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being sidelined after sustaining a concussion at Talladega. Park himself was a victim of crashes that took him out of action.
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
In a May 2016 "Where Are They Now?" interview with KeepIt35.com, Park mentioned that he currently works at Batteries Plus Bulbs in Mooresville, NC, a franchise that he currently owns.
