Two countervailing forces contribute to Mark’s perennial unrest. On the one
hand, he is unlucky by nature. On the other, he never gives up. Unlucky men
who never give up are in short supply. Most men could not reach the age of
45 without ever yielding to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.Mark isn’t a race-car driver. He’s more like a great figure in literature, or even mythology.
Mark’s finished second in the points standings four times. He’s won 34 races, but he’s finished second in 47. As a young man, he fell victim to substance abuse and almost disappeared from the sport’s radar screen. He lost loved ones to tragedy.
But still he perseveres. Now, in the twilight of his career, once again he soldiers on, bloodied but unbowed.
At the beginning of the season, Mark’s Daytona 500 ended after seven laps, leaving him 43rd in the Nextel Cup points. Since then, it’s been two steps frontward, one step back. Thanks to a new system for determining a champion, Mark still has a shot at that elusive title, but the odds are more likely that the new system has just extended a career’s worth of misery.
“You know, this whole thing is silly,” said Mark. “We shouldn’t even be talking about this stuff. The way this race team has run this year, we should be somewhere in the top five, not worrying if we can make the top 10.
“The bottom line is that this is a top-five race team and we’ve run that way for several weeks to prove it. I can’t make sure the engine holds up and we can’t keep air in the tires, but we’ve run top five week-in and week-out. I’d rather have runs like I’ve had this year, strong runs like we had at Watkins Glen and Michigan and even Indy, Chicago and Pocono, than to ride around in 14th all day and be in that top 10.
Nothing would be better in this first season of wild and wacky playoffs than for Mark finally to prevail. His quest of glory has been Homeric. How sweet it would be for Fate finally to grant him his due.
“I’ve always said that’s why I race,” added Mark. “Because I love to be competitive. I love to run up front and pass cars and be in a position to win races, and we’ve done that several times this year, despite all of the rotten luck we’ve had.”
“We plan to go down swinging in this thing. We aren’t going to go out and get all hyped up and set up for heartbreak, but we’re not about to give up without a fight either.”
I'd like to think there'll be a crusade NEXT year, but thanks, Mr Dutton, for talking up the heroic side of Mark!
