The 2003 New England 300

Mark and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team gained 10 positions Mark in Loudon in July

in the final 50 laps of Sunday’s New England 300 to overcome a faulty pit sequence and bring home an 18th-place finish. Mark moved from 23rd to 18th during the last 10 laps of the race.

“We had a really good car today,” said Mark after the race. “It was a lot better than a lot of the cars out there today. We got a little off on our pitting and unfortunately we were not able to get as good of a finish as we would have liked.

“But fortunately we were able to pass a lot of cars late in the race and move up the field for what was a respectable finish. All of the guys worked really hard this weekend and in the end they gave me a pretty good car out there today, it just didn’t turn out the way we would have liked.”

Mark started the race 12th on points, after rain forced the cancellation of qualifying on Friday. The veteran driver wasted no time moving up the field and broke inside the top 10 by lap 19 of the race. When caution was called two laps later on lap 21, the team opted to come into the pits for fuel and adjustments to help loosen up the car.

The decision would prove costly as the majority of the field opted to stay out, costing the No. 6 Viagra Taurus several positions. At a track known for its difficulty to pass on and where track position is key, the move would prove too much to overcome for Mark as the team was never able to recoup the positions. Mark would return to the field in 31st position when the field went green on lap 27.

Mark was able to drive the car back up the field, steadily working his way towards the front; passing cars one-by-one. A fuel only stop after a caution on lap 144 would move Mark from 20th to 14th place. The team opted not to pit at all after the day’s 11th caution on lap 203 and Mark moved up to seventh place when the field returned to green.

The No. 6 remained in the top 10 until it entered the pits for a fuel only stop under caution on lap 234. Mark returned to the field in 26th place with 61 laps remaining. After loosing two places to 28th by lap 250, Mark would find himself in a 50-lap mad dash for position. By lap 271 he had powered the Viagra Taurus into 24th position. He would go on to pick up six more places in the final 20 laps of the race. Running to the 18th place finish, the 14th top-20 finish of the season for the Viagra Racing Team.

Mark remains in 12th place in the Winston Cup point race.

The team returns to action next week at Pocono Raceway, where Mark finished second in June.