The 2005 Advance Auto Parts 500

Mark and the Viagra® Racing Team ran to a solid seventh-place finish in Martinsville 04/2005 pitstop

Mark and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team rolled to a third-place finish in Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts 500 at Marksville Speedway. The finish is Mark’s second top-five in the last three races and his fourth top-10 finish in six races this season. The team used a fast car and its best pit work all season to put together Mark’s strongest run to date of 2005.

Mark was in contention to win the race late, restarting third after the day’s 13 caution with 54 laps to go. Mark’s tires were 45 laps fresher than the two cars in front of him and he quickly moved to second place on lap 460. Mark spent the next four laps in a heated battle for second place with Jeff Gordon. Gordon would prove to have the fastest car in the race and eventually overcame Mark on lap 464, before going on to take first place and eventually the victory. Still the third place finish was a solid performance for Mark and the Viagra® Team at one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit.

“This was the best car I’ve ever had at Marksville,” said Mark after the race. “I just love working with Pat Tryson and this entire Viagra® Team. They give me great cars every week and that is what it takes to win out here. We had a chance to win there down the stretch and that’s about all you can ask for.

“I really thought we had a chance to win it there with about 50 (laps) to go,” added Mark. “But the No. 24 was just really good and I used up about all I had fighting him off for those few laps. Jeff (Gordon) was just too strong for us. We fought hard. We burned up the front brakes trying to beat him there. We were so close to winning the thing, but I'm just thrilled to run third. What an awesome day. It is such a privilege to drive for these guys in my last year of Cup racing. It's really a privilege and an honor."

Mark qualified 22nd on Friday, but by Saturday’s last practice session Pat Tryson and company boasted one of the fastest cars on the race track. Mark drove the car inside the top-15 by just the fourth lap of the race. He had powered the Viagra® Ford to 11th position by the time the day’s third caution was called on lap 57. The team used what would be the first of several outstanding stops of the day (13.98 seconds) to put Mark back out inside the top-10 for the first time in the race in ninth place.

The team used another fast stop under caution on lap 183 to move Mark from seventh place and into the top five with a 13.69-second effort. Mark dropped back to sixth place on lap 240, but the veteran would never run worse than sixth for the remaining 260 laps of the race. A 13.76- second stop under caution on lap 323 put Mark back in fifth place and there would be no looking back for the Viagra® Team.

Mark put the nose of his Ford just in front of teammate Kurt Busch at the Mark trying to go to the lead at Martinsville

Mark trying to go to the lead at Martinsville

start-finish line to earn five bonus points for leading the race on lap 416, before settling back into second place where he was running when caution number 13 was called on lap 433. Three cars stayed out and Mark retuned to the field in sixth place. Mark quickly broke back into the top five and passed Busch for third on lap 446. Moments later Gordon made contact with Busch going into the corner. The contact sent Busch into the wall bringing out the caution with just over 40 laps remaining.

Mark restarted in third and was first of the cars on fresh tires. He quickly moved into second place and had his eyes on the leader Sterling Marlin and the No. 40 car. However, he would not be able to hold off Gordon, and dropped back to third with just 37 laps to go. Mark spent the next several laps chasing down Marlin. He was able to get by the No. 40 car with 25 laps remaining, but lost a position to the No. 9 car in the process. The veteran would be able to hang on to third position for his 11th top-five career finish at Marksville. The strong finish moved Mark up six places to fourth in the Nextel Cup point standings. Mark and the team return to action next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway where Mark has one win and boasts 4 top-10 finishes in eight starts.