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A
native of Denver, N.C., Parker made his NASCAR Busch Series
(NBS) debut in the 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 at Homestead-Miami
Speedway. Then 23 years old, Parker started 41st in the No.
78 Mark III Chevrolet and finished 23rd.
In 1998 Parker made only three NBS starts, earning his first
top-10 NBS finish with a sixth-place effort at
the North Carolina Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 53
B.A.S.S. (Bass Angler's Sportsman's Society) Chevrolet for
his family-owned team (Hank Parker Racing), Parker competed
for the title of NBS Rookie of the Year in 1999. His first
top-10 finish of
the season came in May at Nazareth Speedway, and a
third-place run at South Boston Speedway one month later was
Parker's first career NBS top-five. Parker finished second
to Tony Raines in the rookie-of-the -year standings and 18th
in the NBS Championship standings, closing the season with a
fourth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the 29th
race of the season at North Carolina Speedway,
Parker'sprimary sponsor changed from B.A.S.S. to Team
Marines. Brimming with confidence after the 1999 season
finale, Parker entered the 2000 season with hopes for a
top-10
finish in the race for the NBS Championship. He
compiled four top-10 finishes in the first seven races of
the season to set a positive tone, including a 10th-place
finish at the season opener in Daytona
Beach. The No. 53 Team Marines Chevrolet team earned four
more top-10 finishes in the next 25 races, vaulting Parker
to a 14th-place finish in the drivers' points standings.
Late
in the 2000 season, Parker and his father had a tough
decision to make. Hank Parker Racing (HPR) could not secure
enough sponsorship money to allow Parker to run every NBS
race in 2001. Faced with the prospect of missing a number of
events on the 33-race schedule, father and son elected to
close the doors on their race team and Parker began looking
at other opportunities.
In December 2000, Parker signed to drive the No. 36
Chevrolet for Cicci-Welliver Racing. Three weeks after
Parker signed his contract, GNC Live Well (General Nutrition
Centers) came aboard as the primary sponsor for Parker's No.
36 Chevy.
The 2001 season was a roller coaster ride for Parker and his
team. After strong runs at Daytona and Rockingham, the team
finished outside the top 20 in the next seven races.
Bouncing back from the
adversity, the No. 36 team used fuel strategy to help Parker
claim the first win of his NBS career in the Auto Club 300
at California Speedway on April 28. The victory came in
Parker's 73rd start in the NBS. The win proved to be the
high point of the year for the No. 36 team, which failed to
crack the top 10 again until the 27th race of season.
In August, team owner Scott Welliver purchased the
assets of partner Frank Cicci. In a matter of days,
Welliver teamed with Wayne Jesel to form Welliver-Jesel
Motorsports. One of the first moves the new partnership made
was the hiring of veteran crew chief Gary Cogswell to
oversee the No. 36 team. In only his third race with the
organization, Cogswell helped Parker to an eighth-place
finish at Dover Downs International Speedway in Delaware,
followed by a second-place finish one week later in the
inaugural NBS event at Kansas Speedway.
The team ended the season on a roll, compiling five
top-10 finishes in the final seven events of the year.
The strong finish to the season pushed Parker to 15th place
in the NBS drivers' points standings.
The switch to the Dodge Intrepid, along with the
strong friendship and communication that Parker and Cogswell
have developed, bode well for the team's chances at the 2002
NBS championship. Parker's racing career began in local
go-kart
competition near his home in Denver, N.C. He began racing
full-size stock cars in 1993 at Concord
Motorsports Park in North Carolina, driving a Street
Stock purchased from Dale Earnhardt. In his first
season of competition, he won seven feature races in just 18
starts.
He
graduated to the Late Model Stock division in 1994 and won
one event, three poles and finished fifth in the final
standings. He also won two Late Model Stock events in 1995
and earned 10 top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes.
Parker Jr.'s father, Hank Parker, is a two-time B.A.S.S.
Masters Classic championship Bass fisherman, and hosts the
television show Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine on The
National Network (TNN).
CAREER
HIGHLIGHTS
Hank Jr.'s racing career began in local Go-Kart
competition near his home in Denver, N.C.
 1993 -- Began
racing full-size stock cars at Concord Motorsports Park in
Concord, N.C., driving a Street Stock purchased from his
good friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Seven feature event wins in
only 18 starts.
1994 -- Moved up to the Late Model Stock division
One event win and three pole positions
Finished fifth in point standings
1995 -- Competed in Late Model Stock division
Scored10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes
1996 -- Entered the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Scored
one win, one pole position and six top-10 finishes.
1997 -- Competed in the complete NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro
Series schedule Scored two wins and two poles Set a new
track record at Homestead, Fla.
Finished fourth in the final points standings Voted Most
Popular Driver and finished second in the category of
"Most Laps Led" Made his NASCAR Busch Series (NBS)
debut at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla.
1998 -- Made three Busch Series starts
Scored first career NBS top-10, a sixth-place result
at the North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.
1999 -- First full season of Busch Series competition. Drove
the No. 53 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for his family-owned race
team (Hank Parker Racing), with associate sponsorship from
B.A.S.S.
Raybestos Rookie of the Year runner-up Finished18th in the
NBS drivers' points standings
Made 27 starts, scoring two top-five and four top-10
finishes
2000 - Drove the No. 53 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for his
family-owned team with sponsorship from Rick Rathbun's Team
Marines Finished 14th in NBS drivers' points standings Made
32 starts, scoring two top-five and eight top-10 finishes
Claimed first Bud Pole of his NBS career in March, setting a
track record during qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
in Nevada One of eight NASCAR drivers featured in People
Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue In December,
joined Cicci-Welliver Racing's three-car team as the driver
of the No. 36 entry
2001 - Drove the No. 36 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for
Cicci-Welliver Racing (which became Welliver-Jesel
Motorsports in August of 2001), with sponsorship from GNC
Live Well (General Nutrition Centers) Scored first career
NBS win in April at California Speedway in his 73rd NBS
start Finished 15th in NBS drivers' points standings
--
Made 33 starts, scoring two top-five and six top-10 finishes
-- Five top-10 finishes in the final seven events
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