Mark has never looked
forward to a new season as much as he is this year.
That is mainly due to the fact that he feels
like a new man. The day after the final race of the 1999
season, Mark underwent spinal fusion in his lower back to
treat the persistent pain he has endured for years. After
about six weeks of laying flat on his back for 22 hours a day,
Mark has been given the green light to resume a much faster
pace - racing the high banks of Daytona.
"I feel like I am 15 years younger than before the surgery,"
Mark said. "The pain I had is 100 percent gone. I feel
like a brand new person. I can't tell you how much it was
robbing my quality of life - way more than I ever knew."
Most patients take nearly a year to return to a normal
lifestyle, but Mark has been the exception to every rule.
His doctor credits his quick recovery time to the amazing
physical shape Mark was in before the surgery.
"I never asked the doctor how bad the recovery was going to be
before I had the surgery," Mark said. "I was surprised by
a lot of things, but my recovery has been miraculous. I
started physical therapy three weeks after the surgery. We
continued adding weights and new exercises and I advanced
really fast."
|
Table 1. Mark's record at Daytona
MARK'S CAREER RECORD AT
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
|
| DATE |
EVENT |
S |
F |
LAPS |
REASON |
MONEY WON |
| 2/14/99 |
Daytona 500 |
9 |
31 |
147 |
Accident |
$97,020 |
| 7/3/99 |
Pepsi 400 |
3 |
16 |
160 |
Running |
$54,575 |
| 2/15/98 |
Daytona 500 |
15 |
38 |
187 |
Running |
$87,505 |
| 10/17/98 |
Pepsi 400 |
6 |
16 |
160 |
Running |
$47,165 |
| 2/16/97 |
Daytona 500 |
11 |
7 |
200 |
Running |
$105,515 |
| 7/5/97 |
Pepsi 400 |
18 |
27 |
159 |
Accident |
$30,465 |
| 2/18/96 |
Daytona 500 |
15 |
4 |
200 |
Running |
$118,140 |
| 7/3/96 |
Pepsi 400 |
40 |
11 |
117 |
Running |
$34,095 |
| 2/19/95 |
Daytona 500 |
6 |
3 |
200 |
Running |
$153,700 |
| 7/13/95 |
Pepsi 400 |
10 |
4 |
160 |
Running |
$43,225 |
| 2/20/94 |
Daytona 500 |
7 |
13 |
199 |
Out of Gas |
$65,670 |
| 7/2/94 |
Pepsi 400 |
15 |
4 |
160 |
Running |
$36,575 |
| 2/14/93 |
Daytona 500 |
23 |
6 |
200 |
Running |
$74,625 |
| 7/3/93 |
Pepsi 400 |
18 |
6 |
160 |
Running |
$23,550 |
| 2/16/92 |
Daytona 500 |
5 |
29 |
162 |
Running |
$24,000 |
| 7/3/92 |
Pepsi 400 |
4 |
8 |
160 |
Running |
$19,325 |
| 2/17/91 |
Daytona 500 |
18 |
21 |
193 |
Running |
$31,955 |
| 7/7/91 |
Pepsi 400 |
26 |
11 |
160 |
Running |
$17,090 |
| 2/19/90 |
Daytona 500 |
7 |
21 |
198 |
Running |
$39,995 |
| 7/7/90 |
Pepsi 400 |
2 |
11 |
158 |
Running |
$14,490 |
| 2/18/89 |
Daytona 500 |
5 |
3 |
110 |
Accident |
$23,445 |
| 7/1/89 |
Pepsi 400 |
1 |
16 |
159 |
Running |
$13,085 |
| 2/14/88 |
Daytona 500 |
38 |
41 |
19 |
Overheat |
$7,910 |
| 7/2/88 |
Pepsi 400 |
22 |
17 |
159 |
Running |
$5,380 |
| 2/16/86 |
Daytona 500 |
24 |
37 |
51 |
Engine |
$9,560 |
| 2/20/83 |
Daytona 500 |
12 |
28 |
136 |
Accident |
$15,000 |
| 7/4/83 |
Firecracker 400 |
16 |
19 |
153 |
Running |
$2,100 |
| 2/14/82 |
Daytona 500 |
26 |
30 |
75 |
Engine |
$5,000 |
| 7/4/82 |
Firecracker 400 |
15 |
31 |
64 |
Accident |
$3,275 |
|
"I am very excited about what the future holds for me now,"
Mark said. "The last few years I just wasn't that happy
because my life had a restrictor plate on it that was just
choking the sweet part of life right out. Sometimes you have
to take a step back to go forward. This time off has been
good for me in many ways. I think this season has the
potential to be our best ever. I don't think my surgery
will affect my performance in the car, but it certainly will
affect how I interact with my team, the fans and everyone
around me. The Valvoline/Cummins team will have a strong
season. My guys were one of the best teams adapting to the
changes in 1998 when Ford switched to the Taurus, and I
expect them to have the same advantage this year."