And now that Mark has made it to the top of the Winston Cup
points standings heading into this weekend's race at
California Speedway outside Los Angeles, Fennig wants to
drive home his point of avoidance even more.Sure, it's dandy to be leading the pack . . .
"But it's still so early in the season, and we just don't want any DNFs," Fennig said this week from the team's North Carolina shop. "We emphasize that; we double-check everything to make sure nothing falls off. We kind of do that for every race, but we're sure going to keep doing it now."
When he hit California a year ago, Mark was third in points returning to a track where he was the defending champ.
Then . . . Blown engine. DNF.
Mark finished 38th, fell to fifth in the standings and watched Dale Jarrett take the points lead for good the following weekend at Richmond, Va. Two other bum showings, one because of an ill-handling car and another because of a faulty motor, combined with severe back problems, led to Mark's third-place finish in points.
Once again, Mark and owner Jack Roush were denied a title.
But offseason back surgery has left Mark "feeling better than I have in a long time." Through nine races, he has been out of the top 10 only twice - and those were respectable showings of 16th and 11th. He has a victory and three other top-fives.
Too early to start thinking championship, Jimmy?
"Every year we're trying to go for the championship, but our biggest focus right now is on winning races," Fennig said. "If you win races, you're going to be in there at the end."
Mark shrugs when assessing the team's early-season success.
"We always have run good; we just got off to a better start this year than most years," he says. "We've run good week in and week out. We've been consistent. But we're always pretty consistent, and that's why we've (finished) in the top six in points for eight years straight."
And does a better back mean better racing?
"No, not necessarily," says Mark, who outpolled Formula One
star Michael Schumacher in first-quarter Driver of the Year
voting by a panel of national media. "I feel better,
stronger, but what we do is still real hard. I just don't
have that additional complication right now."As it is, Mark's team has the look of a champion. And, as usual, he's the point man for Roush's five-car operation.
"Mark," Roush Racing President Geoff Smith says, "He is the captain, the team leader."
And Fennig is the gratified but ever-cautious coach.
"It's a big team effort, and it's good to see Mark up there, to see the guys enjoying it and working even harder to stay up there," Fennig said. "As for me, I like being No. 1, too. I mean, that's the object of our sport. We just have to keep working."
And?
"And make sure we don't have any DNFs."
