The 2006 Checker Auto Parts 500

Running in 15th position, Mark and crew chief Pat Tryson gambled after a caution on lap 252, taking two tires only and Mark in Phoenix November 2006

returning in first place as the field returned to green. The gamble would pay off with Mark hanging on to the lead for 26 laps, before settling into a sixth-place finish in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

"We had a pretty good car today,” said Mark. “It was awesome on long runs and we didn't get much of that in the second half, but in the first half we were really mowing them down. The car wasn't real good on restarts with new tires and stuff, so we made the most of what we had. I'm really proud of this team and proud of our run. We could hold our own against those guys once everything settled in and we might have even done a little better with more green flag, but it was a great team effort by a great team."

Mark and Tryson were unhappy with the car’s performance in happy hour on Saturday and opted for wholesale changes in the car’s setup for the race on Sunday, so the team went into the race, uncertain of how the car would perform.

“We thought after the last practice that we had a car good enough to run somewhere around the top 10,” said crew chief Pat Tryson. “But we really aren’t point racing anymore, so we basically went in and changed everything, so we could come out and hopefully contend for the win. It was definitely a ‘role the dice’ move, but we figured we had nothing to lose so we went for it. In the end, I think we were better than we would have been with the old setup.”

Mark started 21st in the race, and his car was loose at the start. However, as the race progressed the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion settled in for the long run. Mark was running in 20th on lap 40, but had moved all the way to 14 by lap 60. After taking four tires and fuel under caution on lap 71, Mark broke into the top 10 for the first time of the race on lap 114, before moving all the way to eighth on lap 148 before the day’s second caution was issued just one lap later.

The team came into the pits under green for four tires and fuel and an air pressure adjustment, and returned in eighth place when the field went green on lap 156. The adjustment would backfire, making the car too loose on the run, and Mark would drop to 11th position by the time the day’s third caution was issued on lap 186. The team would come into the pits for four tires and fuel and to make air pressure and wedge adjustments in hopes of improving the car’s handling. The adjustment would do little to help the car’s handling issues and Mark fell to 14th position by lap 101.

Running 13th, Mark brought his Fusion down pit road under caution on lap 227 for four tires and fuel and after a 13.5-second stop by the AAA Team, returned in 12th-place when green flag racing resumed. With the car still handling loose, Mark fell back to 15th by the time the race’s fourth caution was called on lap 227. The team then opted for the two-tire stop and Mark took over the lead on lap 255.

Mark was able to fend off point leader Jimmie Johnson for the lead on the ensuing restart. He held the lead through a pair of cautions on laps 264 and 272, before eventually giving way to eventual race-winner Kevin Harvick on lap 282. Mark would eventually settle into sixth on lap 298, fighting off the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne for the position. The race was red flagged after a multi-car accident on lap 305, and Mark restarted in sixth on lap 309 with only three laps remaining. He was able to hold off Kahne for the position and earn his 15th top-10 finish of the season.

“Our car was actually better than it showed all day,” said Mark. “We were pretty competitive there on speed at the end. If we hadn't have gotten some of those last cautions, I think we would have been able to keep Denny (Hamlin) behind us for the top five.”

The team will return to action for the season finale next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Mark will make his final start in the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford, after driving the car for the past 19 years.

“In 1988 we came into this thing fighting for wins,” said Mark. “After 19 years behind the wheel of the No. 6 I intend to go out the exact same way.”