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In a bizarro day at Kansas Speedway Mark and
the U.S. Army team posted a 12th-place finish. "It was a strange day, but we hung in there," said Army crew chief Ryan Pemberton. "Mark 
drove a strong race and the pit crew was once again on top of its game."After spending Friday and Saturday searching for speed and battling handling issues with the 01 Chevrolet, Mark and the Army team dug deep and came through with another solid finish. "These guys are just incredible,” said Mark, who started 40th. “We were all over the place in qualifying and practice but they just wouldn’t give up on the car. Once the race started I was able to do things with the Army Chevy that I had not been able to do all weekend. It really was a great team effort and our guys battled like our soldiers -- they refused to give up.” Driving the Dale Earnhardt Inc-owned Chevrolet, Mark wasted little time moving through the field. He picked up 10 positions by Lap 12. The 01 team then made a huge leap to 20th place a few laps later after a quick two-tire stop under caution. Mark continued to run strong and was positioned in the top 15 for the majority of the race, including a high of seventh. “We were awful on Friday and had a terrible lap in qualifying," noted Mark. "And just when things looked really bad, these guys dug in and gave it all they had. It’s unbelievable what they were able to do with this race car this weekend. It's a testament to the type of team we have here." The 01 team, which finished fourth last week in Dover, remains 14th in the Nextel Cup owner standings. The next race for the 01 team will be Sunday (Oct. 7) at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway where Aric Almirola is slated to drive the Army Chevy. |
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