Were it not for trouble to most of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
“bubble” drivers, Mark’s postseason aspirations might have suffered a significant setback, thanks to
a wreck on Lap 13 that relegated him to a 38th-place finish.
As Mark exited Turn 2, Matt Kenseth gained momentum to the outside, and Mark’s Chevy wasn’t clear
of Kenseth’s Ford when Mark moved up the track. Mark’s car spun into the infield and sustained
serious damage.
“Matt ran the top side there and got a run up off the corner, and I was just trying to keep it down
and leave us room, and I just pinched him,” Mark said. “Front wheels were cut, and it just didn’t
turn quite enough. My fault.”
Mark who dropped to 13th in the standings after finishing 38th. Even though Mark was involved in that
multi-car crash, his team worked to fix his No. 5 Chevrolet and he returned to the track.
Mark’s wreck was nothing, however, compared with the 13-car pileup on Lap 77 that eliminated Dale
Earnhardt Jr.
Contact between the Dodges of Kasey Kahne and David Stremme triggered the wreck, but the cars of
Earnhardt and David Reutimann perhaps were the most severely damaged, as Reutimann slid up the track
into Earnhardt’s path.
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