The 2006 AAA Insurance 200 Craftsmen Truck Race

Mark led a race-high 86 of 200 laps en route Mark goes by Erin Crocker

to his third Craftsman Truck Series victory in only six starts this season. Mark took the lead for the fourth and final time on lap 164 and never looked back, using the final 36 laps of the race to build up as much as a four second lead that he rode to the checkered flag.

“It was a great run,” said Mark. “I want to thank Jim Hagedorn and Scotts Miracle-Gro and this team. Man, they were awesome on pit road. We had the long-haul setup on it and we got a lot of green-flag racing, so it really worked out for us today. The thing was really good on the long runs. This thing, we didn't qualify that well, but I told them we set it up to race, and it raced well. This truck racing is the most fun I've had for years and years."

Mark was leading on lap 159 when the race’s fourth and final caution was issued. Mark came into the pits for four tires, fuel and a slight wedge adjustment and came out second, with the No. 17 truck opting to take two tires only. Mark needed only one lap to over take the No. 17 for the lead, which he would never surrender. Mark crossed the finish line over three and a half seconds ahead of Roush teammate Carl Edwards.

Mark started the race in 13th place based on the qualifying session that was held earlier in the day. He needed just one lap to move into the top 10, where he would run for the remainder of the race. By lap 43 Mark had driven his No. 6 F-150 into the top five, and he took the lead for the first time on lap 77 when he passed the No. 51 truck of fellow Nextel Cup driver Kyle Busch.

Mark would lead the next 29 laps before giving way to Busch on lap 106. Busch was black flagged on lap 136 for a missing hood pin, and Mark would retake the lead and lead all but five of the remaining 63 laps in the race.

"Well, I think we were a little bit disappointed with how we qualified, Mark gets by Kyle Busch

but we knew that in practice we had a truck for the long hauls,” added Mark. “Lucky for us, there was a lot of green-flag racing. The guys did a great job preparing it and especially pitting it and keeping me in the front once we got to the front. It was one of those days where everything worked out for you. Like I say, we expected based on experience, I had the track to come to us, and it came to us pretty well. We only made one adjustment and that was on the last pit stop."

With the win, Mark has now won races at Dover in all three of NASCAR’s premiere series. The win was Mark’s fourth career victory in the Craftsman Truck Series, and it marked his 86th NASCAR victory, moving him into the top-five all-time in NASCAR history. Mark will start sixth in Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Dover.