The 2005 Nextel Challenge

Sporting a throw-back Retro-‘93 paint scheme Mark and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team turned in a Mark wins the million dollar purse

dominant performance reminiscent of the season in which Mark scored four straight victories with a commanding performance in Saturday night’s Nextel All-Star Challenge. Mark took the lead for the first time on lap 34 and went on to win the race’s first segment. After a six car inversion, Mark regained the lead again during the third and final segment of the race on lap 71 and used the remaining 19 laps to pull away from the field to take home the victory and the million dollar bounty awarded the All-Star winner.

“This win was for all the fans, it’s a ‘Salute’ to them,” said Mark pointing the crowd just moments after the victory. “The reaction of the fans is number one. And part of that reaction was seeing the paint on that race car. So the Salute to You tour is about the fans. Their reaction to this win is number one. It is the thing that I'll remember as long as I live.

“Second of all, I want to thank Viagra® and all our sponsors for allowing us to get a little glimpse of old school. That car ran like it did in '93 and it really means a lot. The other thing, next in line is the look on the face of each and every guy who made that happen, the guys who do the work. I wish I could capture that and hold onto that and visit it every day. The best that we can do is photographs, and we'll do the best we can with that. That's really special. Then comes the trophy, it's really special. This is how I want to do it. We did this by racing smart with a great race car tonight. Certainly don't feel like it was anything more than coming to the race track with a great race car and great execution by a team that I'm honored to drive for."

The All-Star race is divided into three sessions, with the first being Mark takes a victory lap after winning the challenge

Mark takes a victory lap after winning the challenge

40 laps, the second 30 laps, and the third 20. Mark won the first segment and finished the second segment in fourth, after the field inversion. The team came down pit road with the leaders on lap 70 after the conclusion of the second segment. Mark’s No. 6 Viagra® Ford came out of the pits in third place, but the first of the teams that took four tires. Mark wasted little time powering his Retro Ford to the front of the field for good, moving past Elliot Sadler for the lead on lap 71 and moving on to the win, his second career victory in the All-Star race.

"It was good from the start,” said Mark’s crew chief Pat Tryson. “Mark did a great job, won the first segment and fortunately for us they only inverted six so we were able to keep some decent track position. He did the rest. He was awesome all night and it was a great win for this Viagra® Team.”

Mark started the race second, based on Friday’s special qualifying session that featured a three-lap segment and a pit stop. He quickly dropped back Jack, Mark and Pat are overjoyed

to fifth, but had moved up to third when the field started pitting on lap 14. With the car handling a little tight, the team came in for four tires and a track bar adjustment and used a solid stop to hold onto third. Mark had advanced to second when the day’s first caution was called on lap 31 and he took the lead just moments after the restart on lap 33 and held on to win the first segment that ended on lap 40.

After a random drawing the top six were inverted and Mark restarted the 30-lap second segment ironically in sixth position. He patiently moved up to fourth place by the end of the segment and used fast work in the pits by the Viagra® Team to advance to third to start the third segment. With the two cars in front of Mark on two tires, it was only a matter of time before Mark put his No. 6 Ford in the lead for good. Jeff Gordon, who was running in second, was unable to get going on two tires, thus jamming up the field, resulting in the race’s fifth and final caution. Moments later Mark was able to take the lead from Sadler on the restart and earn his first Cup victory of the “Salute To You” Season.

“Pat Tryson and this team, they wanted to deliver another miracle,” said Mark. “This was a miracle tonight, and they want to deliver another one - that being a championship. We've been in the top 10 in every race but one this year, so it's not outside the realm of possibility. We're going to come back here with fire in our eyes at the 600, and, man, we go from here to Dover, there to Pocono, and then from there to Michigan, we could get on a roll here. These are race tracks where we are strong.”

The team returns to action again next weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the season’s longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600, where Mark won in 2002.