Mark understands, and he said it doesn't bother him
in the least."See, I had been kind of ignorant about it, too, because before my deal with Pfizer, I had been in my own little world,'' said Mark, who was formerly sponsored by Valvoline motor oil. "But I realize to do something important, I have to bear those jokes, and that's fine."
Mark said he's proud of the contribution his sponsor makes to the race community by setting up its mobile health center at Winston Cup race sites and giving free health screenings to fans.
According to a March 11 Sports Illustrated article, 50,000 fans received free screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes last year.
"They didn't have to take off of work, they didn't have to pay for a doctor's visit, and they didn't have to sit in the doctor's office,'' Mark said. "You tell me what other sponsor is giving fans stuff free every week -- stuff that's important. I'm not talking about cologne here.
"I knew when I took this sponsorship that I would get letters from little kids saying 'You saved my daddy's life,' and I have. That's a lot more important than selling some product.''
Mark said he has personal acquaintances who have benefited. One learned they were at high risk of suffering a stroke and was taken to the hospital immediately.
"The best treatment for those health issues is early detection and treating it over a period of time,'' Mark said. "So the positive spin on it is that what we've been able to do is to help people achieve a better quality of life.
"I feel like in order to really capitalize on what I've built in my race career, the success and the visibility, this is my opportunity to do something really important.''
