The 2006 Ford 400

Mark climbed out of the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford for the final time on Sunday afternoon, with his 19-year legacy in Marks Final Full-Time NASCAR Ride

the car far more important than the 18th-place finish he had just garnered in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 18th-place finish was not the storybook-ending Mark and his team owner of almost 20 years, Jack Roush, would have wished for, but it was, nonetheless, an end to a solid season that saw Mark become one of only three drivers to make the “Chase” for the Nextel Cup its first three seasons.

In fact, Mark went out just as he came in, fighting for position. And while Mark and the team could never quite get a grip on their No. 6 Ford Fusion on this particular day, it did nothing to change the fact that with five races remaining in the season, Mark had taken the lead in the points midway through the race at Charlotte, before a string of senseless accidents put a halt to his final bid for the Cup. On this day, Mark simply climbed out from behind the seat of the race car he had occupied for almost two decades, and quietly closed the door on a chapter of racing history.

“These guys on this team...they just gave everything they had to this team,” said Mark. “They gave their heart and their soul and I feel like I gave it back and we had a great run over the past three years. The effort is what means the most to me. We aren’t going to have as high of a points finish this year as we had the past couple of years, but sometimes the effort just isn’t reflected in the final results. I love these guys and it’s been a pleasure to work with them.

“It’s always been a pleasure and an honor to drive this No. 6 car and to drive for Jack Roush,” added Mark. “It’s truly been a great ride and I know that I leave here with my cup running over.”

Mark’s No. 6 Ford Fusion wore a special paint scheme commemorating Mark’s final run in the No. 6. Mark started 26th and experienced handling problems from the beginning of the race. Mark battled a tight car for the majority of the race and that, combined with a problem in the pits during the first stop, dropped the No. 6 team back to 35th position and into a deep hole by just the eighth lap of the race.

Mark was able to drive his way back to 25th by the time the team came into the pits again under caution on lap 45. By lap 111, the car’s handling had finally freed up and Mark broke into the top 20 for the first time of the race. The team made its biggest move of the day on lap 196 when Mark and crew chief Pat Tryson opted for a two tire stop under the race’s seventh caution on lap 188. Mark returned in seventh position. The two tires worked on Mark’s Fusion and he settled into eighth place and ran there until the next caution was issued on lap 205. This time the team opted for four tires and Mark went back out in 11th when green-flag racing resumed. The car did not react as favorably to the four tires and Mark dropped all the way back 19th by lap 222, before recovering and moving back to 15th before caution number nine was called on lap 246.

The team again pitted for four tires, but they just could not seem to get a grip on the car’s handling and Mark dropped back to 19th by lap 261. The race would eventually finish under a green-white-checkered scenario, with Mark bringing home the top-20 finish. Mark would end up ninth in the Nextel Cup point standings, his 16th top-10 finish in 19 seasons at Roush Racing.

David Ragan will now take the wheel of the No. 6 AAA Ford heading into 2007, as Mark moves on to a part-time schedule in the No. 01 car with Ginn Racing.