Mark picked up three positions in the final seven laps of the Brickyard 400 to battle back to an
11th-place finish after experiencing tire problems early in the race. In one of the most bizarre races
in recent NASCAR history, Mark and the rest of the field were unable to go past 10 laps, before their
right-side tires would wear to the chords.
“Well, first of all I hate if for this U.S. Army Race Team,” said Mark. “We had a monster motor and a
great race car today. We definitely had a top-five car. We probably didn’t have anything for Jimmie
Johnson, so I wasn’t going to be able to back up my prediction, but we had a lot better car than we
finished.
“We just pushed it a little too hard twice there at the start, and we got caught twice under green,”
added Mark. “I didn’t think that would happen to us, but I was wrong. After that it was just very hard
to make your way back up to the front. We really had to keep taking four tires to keep the right sides
on, so we were not able to get position in the pits.
“Still the team gave me a great car today. ECR gave me a great engine and it’s just unfortunate the way
it all turned out. Nobody is to blame, as everybody did the best they could. It was just an unfortunate
circumstance with the tire wear out here today.”
Mark was bit early by the tire bug, and was forced to come down pit road twice under green, dropping the
veteran as far back as 35th position by lap 45. The veteran would spend the rest of race battling back
through the field, but with NASCAR being forced to issue competition cautions every 11 laps of the race,
it would be a battle of two steps forward and one stop back for Mark and the U.S. Army Team.
Eventually Mark and crew chief Tony Gibson, opted for right-side tires only after the final competition
caution on lap 149 of the 160-lap race. Mark restarted in 14th position and was able to fight his way back
to 11th as the checkered-flag few on the event.
Mark and the U.S. Army team will return to action next weekend at Pocono Raceway, where Mark boasts 19
top-five and 30 top-10 finishes, including a 10th-place finish there last month.
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