His last race in the No. 60 Winn-Dixie Ford will be the series
finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 11. It will also
be the end of a long line of success in the series, and he may
not be done yet.If he wins the Bud Pole, it will tie a record. If he takes the pole and drives to victory, he will break yet another record.
To begin to list the accomplishments of the most victorious driver in NASCAR Busch Series becomes mind boggling. To even think there are more records out there for him to tie or break is a testament to one's abilities.
In 199 NBS starts, Mark is the record holder for the most trips to Victory Lane with 45. He has 39 of those in the No. 60 car, which is also a record for most wins by a car number. Of the 45 trips to victory, a record 37 of them have been on superspeedways.
Part of his record-breaking accomplishments also carry over to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series ranks. At Michigan in August of 1993, at Darlington one month later, at Charlotte in October of 1995 and at Talladega in April of 1997, Mark was victorious in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series AND the Busch Series races for the weekend.
The driver also holds the record for most wins at tracks still on NASCAR's active list. He has 11 wins at Rockingham, seven at Darlington, six at Lowe's, five at Richmond, three at Atlanta, three at Texas and two at Michigan.
When Mark rolls into the Southern Florida track for his 200th start in the HotWheels.com 300 on Saturday, November 11 he has the opportunity to leave two more marks in the NASCAR Busch Series record books.
If he captures his 28th-pole position he will tie Tommy Ellis'
record. If he wins from the top starting position he will break
Sam Ard's record of of nine."I loved to watch guys like Jack Ingram and Sam Ard race when I was younger. It is hard for me to believe that I could match, or beat, what they have done," Mark said. "It is a real honor to have my name in the Busch record books for so many things."
Jeff Green has already been crowned the series' champion for the 2000 season so the only thing left for the upcoming race is final point positions and records. Mark has one more chance to leave his name at the top of the record charts.
The 41-year old driver still has a tough time with all that he has accomplished in his 14-year NASCAR Busch Series career.
"I never take the time to reflect on my career and realize the things I've done," he said. "It always surprises me to see the numbers on paper because it just doesn't seem real."
