The 2004 Bud Shootout

Mark gained six positions in the final four laps of Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout to earn a fourth-place finish The 2004 Shootout Car

in the all-star event. After a caution on lap 59 of the 70-lap race the cars were brought down pit road as crews worked to repair damage sustained to the track in the accident. The team used the stoppage to take on four fresh tires. Mark started sixth in what would be an eight-lap shootout to the checkered flag.

Working in and out of the draft lines, Mark dropped back to 10th by lap 66, but fought back up the pack moving into third place with one lap to go. Not content with third, Mark pulled up on the No. 8 car, hoping for help from the No. 24 car of Jeff Gordon. When Gordon chose to go low, and Mark became engaged in a battle for third with the No. 29 car before finishing inches behind the No. 29 for a fourth place finish at the line. Dale Jarrett would be the winner.

“I pretty much had third place wrapped up,” said Mark after the race. “But there’s no prize for finishing third in the Shootout, so I took a chance and tried to pass the eight hoping that the No. 24 would follow. It didn’t work out that way, but you might as well go for it in a race like this.”

"We were just trying,” added Mark. “I made one move that was boneheaded and then I got it back by making another move that was risky. There were a lot of risky moves made out there. I had a great run on Junior (Earnhardt Jr.) and could have followed him in for third, but third means nothing in this race.

“We got a fender on the outside of him, but everybody wanted to line up and get a better finish so it would look better on paper, but it was a great run for the Kraft car and the team. This is a great race car and a great power plant. I can do something with that. I was able to come back in the last couple of laps from getting shuffled back. I hit it wrong once and hit it right once and got back up there. We had a run, but I just would have liked to have continued it. One pusher would have put us side by side. The biggest thing was I helped Dale (Jarrett) win the race.

“There's no doubt about it. I could have switched lanes, but I pushed the No. 8 car so that he could push him into the lead. Then I didn't follow the 8 car to try to push him by and I hope some day he would return that kind of favor. I knew that with the position I was in I couldn't win, so I'm happy for Jarrett."

Mark started the race seventh, based on a random draw. The competition The 2004 Shootout Car

was fierce from the green flag, as Mark moved up and quickly became engaged in a vicious three-wide battle for third place. On lap twelve, Mark was able to hold off the No. 8 car for fourth place, but on lap 15 he was shuffled out of the draft and fell out of the top 10. He was running in 12th place when the first segment ended on lap 20.

“We were running really good there from the start,” said Mark. “But I got put in a bad spot areo-wise and we lost position. Still the car was strong from the beginning.

"We had a really fast race car, probably the best I've had at Daytona. The Ford power is incredible. That's a contender (his shootout car). I like that car."

The second segment, which consisted of 50 laps, saw Mark move in and out of the top 10 and the No. 6 was running in 10th place when the cars started to pit for tires and fuel. Mark came in on lap 49 for four tires and fuel. The team reeled off a quick stop, but the car stalled leaving the pits.

Mark found himself running in 12th place after the stop, well behind the lead pack, but in a strong three-car pack that consisted of the No. 42 and the No. 8 cars. Working together, the fast trio quickly gained on the pack, and Mark broke back into the top 10 of the 19-car field by lap 58, where he was running when the caution was called just one lap later on lap 59.

While some cars came into pit, Mark stayed out and moved up to sixth place. After two caution laps, the cars were all brought down pit road, setting the stage for the eight lap shootout that would see the No. 88 car of Dale Jarrett take the win.

The start marked a record 16th-straight Budweiser Shootout.