All Is Calm at No. 36 GNC Live Well Racing Shop?

CONCORD, N.C. (Dec. 21) - The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of relaxation and reflection on the events of the past year.

For NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) driver Hank Parker Jr. and his No. 36 GNC Live Well Racing team, this holiday season marks the calm before the storm.

While some might prefer to ease into the new year, Parker and the team will hit the ground running in 2002.

"I don't even want to look at next month's calendar," Parker said. "The team and I have something going on almost every day next month. January's always hectic, but this is going to be ridiculous."

Some of the GNC crew will accompany other members of Welliver-Jesel Motorsports to a test session at Talladega Superspeedway on January 2. Welliver-Jesel, which will be testing under the banner of the No. 34 entry, will use the time to work on its aerodynamic package for 2002.

Then it's back to North Carolina, where the team members will dust off their "Sunday best" dress clothes in preparation for their drivers' wedding. On Saturday, January 5, Parker and his fiancée, Wendy Alexander, will walk down the aisle, then jet off to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

The driver and his new bride will get to enjoy some fun in the sun, but when they return to Charlotte, it's back to business.

In the meantime, the GNC crew will take the information gathered from the Talladega test session and use it to help them build the car they plan to use in the season-opening Busch race at Daytona International Speedway.

"The bare chassis is sitting in our shops, ready to go," crew chief Gary Cogswell said. "We're hoping that what we learn in Talladega will give us a little more information that we can incorporate into the new car. It's going to be tight to get the car ready in time, but we think we can pull it off."

Parker will then unveil his new car and paint scheme for 2002 at the Busch Series Preview in Charlotte on January 18. The driver will also meet fans and sign autographs at the event.

Then it's off to Daytona, where Parker's team will take part in a two-day test session on January 24 and 25, along with other Busch teams that claimed even-numbered finishing positions in the 2001 NBS owners' points.

Rod Bussard, the transporter driver for the No. 36, will just have time to drop off the Daytona cars and pick up two other vehicles before heading on a cross-country trek to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The GNC team will then end the month with two days of testing at the 1.5-mile Vegas track January 30-31.

"We've got the whole team hopping," crew chief Gary Cogswell said. "We've got a bunch of new cars and new ideas for 2002, so that's keeping the guys pumped up. We're all taking our GNC vitamins, though, because we're going to need all the energy we can get."