series after not being invited the past two years, worried that he might
do more to tarnish rather than polish his glittering record in the
series.But there he was on Friday, holding off a line of challengers once again to win the 2003 IROC series opener at Daytona International Speedway.
"It has been a couple of years since I've been invited, and I had to think about accepting the invitation," said Mark, a four-time champion in the series. "I had to decide whether I wanted to chance taking a shine of my record.
"It's important for me to come out and have a strong year in IROC. I knew I was capable of doing it, so I decided to come do it."
Mark's victory was his 11th race victory in the series, tying him with Dale Earnhardt and Al Unser Jr. for the IROC record.
"Al Jr. was the best I've ever seen about jumping in an IROC car and just going like crazy," Mark said. "And everybody knows how good Earnhardt is."
This time around, however, Mark is doing battle with a group of mostly younger challengers. "A lot of those kids out there are just incredible drivers," he said. "Beating them is a tall order."
Mark led 21 of 40 laps on Friday, including the last nine after going inside of 2002 IROC champion Kevin Harvick off Turn 2 on Lap 32 with some drafting help from World of Outlaws series driver Danny Lasoski.
Lasoski, who started on the front row alongside fellow Outlaws champion Steve Kinser and more than held his own against the NASCAR and IndyCar series rivals in the 12-car field, held second until the final lap when Kurt Busch, Mark's Winston Cup teammate with Roush Racing, nipped him coming off the final turn.
"I had the time of my life," said Lasoski, who made his IROC debut last
year. "I was here least year and didn't have a clue. I've tried to learn
everything I could."Mark knows what's going on. I got a good run on him but Kurt went left and I went right and Mark won the race."
Busch, who rebounded from being sent to the back of the field for passing below the yellow line on the inside of the track earlier in the race, also went to school on Mark.
"He's got an elder statesman feel out there," Busch said. "I felt that if I tied myself to Mark's bumper it would accelerate my learning curve. ... It's fitting he won the race today because he was the smartest guy out there."
Jimmie Johnson led 14 laps but got shuffled back in the draft when he was trapped high on Lap 25. He rallied to finish fourth, with Greg Biffle fifth.
Kinser spun through the grass in the trioval on what would have been Lap 15 - yellow flag laps don't count in IROC - after contact in traffic from Felipe Giaffone, then fought back to sixth ahead of Harvick, Sam Hornish, Mike Bliss, Giaffone, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Newman.
Castroneves also took a ride through the grass after being bottled up in traffic on Lap 11, but the two-time defending Indianapolis 500 champion made a great save and kept his car racing without incident.
