He came close again in 2004, finishing fourth in the inaugural Chase for
the Nextel Cup. Mark said he learned a valuable lesson after his first time
in the 10-race "playoff.""If there's anything I learned, it's not to wreck in the Daytona 500," Mark said.
Mark's engine blew just seven laps into the 2004 season opener, relegating him to a 43rd-place finish and an early hole, something Mark says you can't fall into if you want to win a championship under NASCAR's new system.
"You have to play the hand you're dealt," Mark said. "It'd be nice to start well. Then you're dealt a good hand.
"It's how the chips fall more than anything else."
To start well means having a strong finish in season opener, something that has been tough for Mark to do in recent memory. He's posted four finishes outside the top 30 in the past seven Great American Races.
"There's no special place in my heart for that joint and there's definitely no special place in that place's heart for Mark," he said.
There is, however, a special place in Mark's heart for everyone involved with racing. That love is the motivation behind something Mark is calling the "Salute to You" tour that will mark his final full-time campaign.
"Contending for that championship is probably number one on the agenda," Mark said, "but right behind that is the opportunity to thank the fans, give the respect to the media that they deserve and that we've not always had time to do throughout the years, and my sponsors and the people in this sport that really made the memories."
To make more memories in 2005, Mark and his team must deal with a couple of rule changes. NASCAR took an inch away from the spoiler and Goodyear responded with a new tire compound.
"It really hasn't had a dramatic effect," said Mark. "There's been a lot of hysteria built around these changes, but I can't tell any difference. It doesn't feel any different to me.
"They (teams) act like they're the only ones losing an inch off the spoiler," he said. "It's the same for everyone.
"Guys say you won't be able to race side-by-side," Mark said. "I don't plan on running side-by-side. I plan on passing."
It's not a stretch to wonder why the fiercely competitive Mark has chosen to scale back after this season. After all, he's still in great shape and he's still not only a force on the racetrack, but a legitimate championship contender.
"It is very important to me to get out with my dignity and not hang onto something that I can't hang on to," Mark said. "It is incredibly important to me to go as close to the top of my game as I can.
"I'm not 26, I'm 46," Mark said. "I made the supreme commitment to this sport and everything else came second in my life -- for 30 years. That's enough."
But that doesn't mean Mark is going to dog it in his final season.
"I look forward to 2005," Mark said. "I realize it's gonna be the most challenging year of my career. I've made that commitment to go at it with all the ferocity that I have and my family has made the same commitment.
"They realize that they're gonna see less of me this year than ever before, but my team and all the people in this sport are gonna get every ounce that I have and I look forward to it."
