Steve Park's victory in February's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at California Speedway made him the 10th driver to score the hat trick of winning a race in all three of NASCAR's top divisions - the Craftsman Truck Series, Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series.
Park joined Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Hamilton, Ken Schrader, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Jimmy Spencer, Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle in that exclusive club.
So who will be next to claim the Triple Crown of NASCAR racing? Several drivers are poised to grab that honor.
It could be another Craftsman Truck Series driver. Johnny Benson and Ricky Craven have won Nextel Cup and Busch Series races but are still looking for their first Craftsman Truck Series victories. Craven has finished third and fourth in the first two Craftsman Truck Series races of 2005, and stands second in the points. Since rejoining the Craftsman Truck Series in mid-2004, Benson has nine top-10 finishes in the last 15 races. Both are capable of visiting Victory Lane at any time.
It may be Bobby Labonte. The veteran Nextel Cup driver is scheduled to run the March 18 World Financial Group 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 47 Chevy All Stars Silverado. Labonte drove that same entry to a third-place finish at Martinsville last October in one of only three starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Or it may be a Nextel Cup regular with a breakout victory in that series. At least six Nextel Cup drivers already have trophies from the Craftsman Truck and Busch Series. Mike Bliss, Scott Riggs, Jason Leffler, Mike Wallace and Kasey Kahne have all won in the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, but not in Nextel Cup.
Knocking at the door - Active drivers with wins in two of three divisions
|
Driver |
Nextel Cup |
Busch |
Craftsman Truck |
|
Johnny Benson |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Ricky Craven |
2 |
4 |
0 |
|
Bobby Labonte |
21 |
9 |
0 |
|
Mike Bliss |
0 |
1 |
12 |
|
Scott Riggs |
0 |
4 |
5 |
|
Jason Leffler |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Kasey Kahne |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
Mike Wallace |
0 |
4 |
4 |
(as of March 14, 2005)