The 2004 DHL 400

MMark and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race team were fast all weekend. Mark Martin

Mark was amongst the field’s fastest cars in both of Saturday’s practice sessions and the team’s hopes were high going into Sunday’s Michigan 400. In the end, Mark’s No. 6 Viagra® Ford would prove to be one of the fastest cars in race, but a failed part at the start of the race would prove to end any chances the team had at a top finish.

“It was a great effort by this Viagra® Race Team,” said Mark. “This type of thing really breaks your heart and we’ve had so much of it this year that it’s unbelievable. But to do what these guys went out and did, still keeping their heads in the game and having a day like they did in the pits, that really says something about this team.

“I really hate the things that have happened to them this year, but this is a great race team and no matter of bad luck is going to change that. I don’t even know what this does to us in the point’s thing, but we aren’t going to worry about the points right now. We are going to keep going out and trying to win races and I believe we have some wins left in us this year. That’s all we can do and everything else will take care of itself. We’ve been good enough at a lot of tracks this year to win the race. We just have to go out and do it.”

Seconds after the green-flag dropped on Sunday, Mark was off the pace and radioed his team that the car would not go. After making it around the track for one lap, the team came into the garage and used quick work to replace the failed part, but Mark would be 18 laps down, in 43rd place and out of contention when he returned to the race on lap 43.

The team remained solid, fighting to the end as Mark posted lap times as fast or faster than the leader for most of the race. Often times Mark started beside the lead lap cars and was able to run amongst the leaders, despite being multiple laps down.

In addition, the pit crew had perhaps its finest day in recent No. 6 car history on pit road, posting four pit stops in 13.80 seconds or less, including a 13.31-second stop on lap 117 to take on four tires, fuel and make a wedge adjustment.

Mark was able to gain several positions on the day through attrition, as he moved his way in and out of traffic. In the end he would bring home a 34th place finish. The finish dropped Mark to 16th in the Nextel Cup point standings, 205 points outside of the top 10 and 578 points out of first.

Mark and the team return to action next week at Sonoma, for the season’s first road course race of 2004.