The 2002 Dodge/Save Mart 350

Mark gained four positions in the final two laps of Sunday's 200 lap Mark is happy

Mark gained 11 positions in the last 23 laps of Sunday's Save Mart 350 to run to a seventh place finish. After running in the top five for most of the day, Mark Mark and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing team found themselves running in 18th place with only 23 laps to go in the first road course of the season. Mark had been running fifth, when caution came out on lap 86. The No. 6 team opted to come into the pits while several cars gambled with fuel and chose to stay out.

When the field went green again on lap 87, Mark found himself in 18th position, his lowest position of the day. However, the veteran driver was able to use the last 23 laps of the race to pass several cars, and move to his 11th top-10 run of the season and his eighth in the last 11 races.

"That last caution fell and some didn't pit," said Mark. "We just had to race to many guys back there to make a run for it in the end."

Still, the strong run moves Mark to second in the Winston Cup point standings, just 62 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Mark started the race 12th, but broke into the top ten on only the tenth lap of the race. Mark had moved up to eighth by lap 30 when the field began to pit under green-flag conditions. Mark entered the pits on lap 36, running in second place. Taking on four tires and making air pressure adjustments in a time of 14.26 seconds, Mark returned to the field in 10th place. The day's first caution came out just three laps later and once all the pitting had ended, Mark was running in seventh place when the field went green on lap 43.

Mark broke back into the top-five on lap 58, just eight laps before the day's second caution broke on lap 69. The No. 6 team came into the pits for a four-tire stop only. The stop took 16.182 seconds, after a loose tire tripped (from the next pit stall) up the Viagra® team's front-tire carrier. Still, Mark returned to the field in eighth place when the field went green on lap 70, and by lap 80 Mark had worked his way back into the field's top five.

The final caution of the day came out on lap 86 and Mark, running in fifth place, came in to take on four tires and make air pressure adjustments. The team had a slight problem with the jack and a costly stop of 18.026 seconds, combined with the fact that the several of the cars behind him didn't pit, put Mark back out into the field in 18th place when the field went green on lap 87. Still Mark was able to maneuver through the field for the seventh-place finish.

"We had an okay day, but we were not really on our game," said Mark. "The car wasn't great, we didn't have a lot of luck and we had a bit of an off day in the pits. So, a seventh place finish isn't all that bad." The car was moderately fast off of the truck on Friday and steadily improved throughout the first session; posting the seventh fastest time of the practice. Not wanting to damage the car, Mark took a cautions approach in qualifying on Friday and started the race 12th. By the final practice on Saturday, the Viagraā Ford Taurus posted the second fastest time of the session.

The seventh-place finish marks Mark's 12th top-10 finish in 14 races at Sonoma. It is also the 304th top-10 finish of Mark's Winston Cup career and the 510th start.