The 2002 Brickyard 400

Mark ran inside the field's top 10 for the entire race during Sunday's Brickyard Mark Martin

400, until mechanical problems struck with just 18 laps remaining. Intense heat marked the day, as Mark and the No. 6 Viagraā (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team, who actually led the race with only 46 laps to go and ran inside the top-five for the majority of the day's laps, had to settle for a disappointing 28th-place finish.

The No. 6 team put Mark in position to win late in the race when Mark came into the pits to take two tires and fuel and make rear end adjustments. Mark came into the pits on lap 129, running in third place. A lightning fast stop of seven seconds sent the No. 6 car back on the track in first place and in position for the crew's second win of the season.

Dealing with lapped traffic, Mark quickly was shuffled to fifth place by lap 136. However, Mark was able to move back up to fourth and with the car handling the best all day, the veteran was poised to move back to the front, when mechanical problems on lap 142 put an end to the bid for the win. Despite the fact that the car was running on limited power, Mark was able to fight it out for the last 18 laps of the race, staying on the lead lap and bringing in an extremely tough-earned 28th place finish.

"That's just a tough day of racing," said Mark after the race. "The team did an outstanding job in the pits and we were in position to really make some noise there at the end. They sent us back out in first place and ready to go for the win, but it just wasn't meant to be on this day. I guess we just didn't have the luck on our side there in the end."

Mark, who's car was one of the fastest on the track all weekend, qualified and started ninth; that was the lowest position the No. 6 Viagraā Taurus would run in the entire day, until the late problems. The veteran driver quickly maneuvered through the field, breaking into the top five by only the sixth lap. By lap 12 Mark had worked his way into third position.

By lap 89 Mark had dropped back to eighth place, but quickly broke back into the top five on 97. Mark would run inside the top five for the next 45 laps, and he lead four laps, until falling back to 11th after the trouble on lap 142. For the led laps, Mark earned five bonus points in the championship race.

Because points leader Sterling Marlin experienced problems and only finished 27th on the day, Mark lost only three points in the championship race and trails Marlin by only 109 points. Mark did however fall to 3rd in the race, but only 13 points out of second.

The team travels to Watkins Glen International Speedway next weekend for the season's second and final road course race of the season.