The 2003 MBNA Armed Forces Family 400

Mark and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team fought to an 18th-place finish in Sunday’s MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 at Dover Downs International Mark at Dover

Speedway. Mark and the No. 6 crew battled all day to make the car better, but were never able to find the exact elements to make the car as fast as they had hoped.

“We just weren’t ever able to get it going,” said Mark. “We just didn’t run good this weekend and that’s the bottom line. The team did a great job in the pits and we had fast stops all day, we just weren’t able to get the car fast enough.”

In the end, Mark, who was caught up in an accident on lap 210, would be forced to settle for the 18th-place finish. The highlight of the day for the No. 6 crew was the team’s nifty work in the pits that included several quick stops that helped Mark gain valuable track position.

A light mist hovered over the Dover Speedway for much of the morning and into the race’s start, as Mark battled a ‘tight’ handling car from the beginning. The day’s first caution occurred just one lap into the race. The second caution was called on lap 38, with Mark running in 27th position. With the car extremely tight, Mark came into the pits for four tires and a wedge adjustment. A quick stop of 14.20 seconds helped to secure Mark’s position on the track, once the field went to green on lap 43.

Persistent rainfall forced the day’s next caution on lap 78. With the car still handling tight, the team came into the pits to take on four fresh tires and remove a spring rubber. Mark returned to the field in 30th place once the field went back to green 11 laps later on lap 89. The adjustment paid off, and Mark had worked his way up the field and into 26th position when the fourth caution of the day was called on lap 113. The No. 6 Viagra Ford Taurus returned to the pits to have the track bar raised and take on fresh tires and fuel. A stop of 15.09 seconds put Mark into the field’s top 25 for the first time of the day.

Mark had powered his way into 23rd place by lap 138, when caution no. 5 was issued. The Viagra race team used quick work in the pits and a 14.62 second stop to move Mark all the way into 19th place when he returned to the field. Once the field returned to green, the race would see a long period of green flag racing in which Mark’s car would become loose.

By lap 201 Mark had dropped to 21st place when caution was issued once again. The team came into the pits and made air pressure and wedge adjustments to correct the car’s handling. Another fast stop of 14.76 seconds moved Mark back up to 18th position when the field went green on lap 208.

Mark radioed that the car was improving, but moments later Mark would get caught up in the tail end of a multi-car accident. The Viagra Ford Taurus suffered heavy damage to the car’s front end, but the radiator remained intact. The team came into the pits three straight times to tape up the damaged front end, and Mark returned to the field in 16th position and on the lead lap when the field returned to green on lap 218.

“We weren't real sporty anyway and that (the accident) was just like a nail in the coffin for us,” said Mark. “We've just got to do a better job and have some better luck too. If we had been running better maybe we would have been ahead of the wreck, but our luck could definitely be better.”

Mark had moved up to 15th place by lap 276 when the race’s eighth caution was issued. With the car again handling tight, Mark came into the pits for air pressure and track bar adjustments. Another quick stop of the pit crew, improved Mark’s position to 13th place when the field went green on lap 281. However, that was the best position of the day for the No. 6 team, as Mark and crew chief Ben Leslie were never really able to get a handle on the car’s problems.

The longest green-flag run of the day saw Mark go a lap down to the leader on lap 354, while running in 17th place. The team attempted to gain back position by short pitting on lap 357 for fresh tires, and a 14.70 second stop helped advance Mark into 16th place, but the car would never get any better. Mark would use the race’s final 40 laps to fight to the 18th place finish.

Mark is currently 15th in the Winston Cup Points Race, but only 46 points outside of 10th place. The team returns to action next week in the Pocono 500.