The 2003 Pennsylvania 500

Things were just starting to peak for Mark and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team on Sunday, when the Mark DEI takes Mark out of the race

fell victim to a lap accident in which the No. 8 car forced Mark up the track heading into the tunnel turn. The altercation forced Mark to slow his Viagra® Ford Taurus, at which time he was struck in the back by the No. 15 car and sent spinning into the wall. The damage proved to be too much for the crew to repair and Mark and the team had to settle for a disappointing 41st -place finish.

"We just kind of got bumped around there going into the tunnel (turn). (Dale Earnhardt) Junior ran into me and we slowed up a little bit. Then I think Michael (Waltrip) might have run into the back of me because he sent apologies, so I don't know. We kind of got just run over there. It's tight quarters going into that corner at the tunnel and real last-minute moves like Junior made usually causes trouble."

Mark struggled with a loose handling car for much of the beginning of the race, but had begun to settle the car in after making several adjustments on the team’s three pit stops. The day’s second caution on lap 67 would give Mark – who was running in 20th position – the opportunity to come into the pits for further adjustments. The team took right-side tires only on the stop and quick work in the pits put Mark back out in the field’s top 10 for the first time of the day when the field went green on lap 72.

However, just one lap into the run, the No. 8 car would attempt to dive under Mark, ultimately bumping the car and forcing Mark towards the wall. Mark was able to save the car, but only seconds before getting struck by the No. 15. The team retired to the garage where they assessed the damage was too severe for a return.

Mark started the race 14th, but with the loose nature of the car he quickly fell back in the field. He was running in 19th place when the team decided to come into the pits for their first pit stop of the day – a green flag stop on lap 32. The team made an adjustment to the track bar and rear tire air pressure in hopes of tightening up the car.

Mark was still loose and running in 18th place when the day’s first caution afforded the team another opportunity to come into the pits for adjustment. The Viagra® Racing Team came into the pits for four tires and a wedge adjustment. A problem with the car’s right-front lug nut cost the team valuable time on the stop (17.967). Still the front tire changer, Todd Zeigler (who serves at the team’s car chief as well), was able to recover quickly, thus minimizing the damage of the stop.

Mark autographs for Pocono fans

When Mark returned to the field he was in 27th place when the field went green on lap 51, but his car’s handling was improved. The veteran driver wasted no time firing up the field, and by lap 64 Mark had moved the car back inside the field’s top 20. Five laps later the team’s excellent work in the pits would move Mark inside the top 10, before the eight car caused the accident on lap 73.

It was a disappointing finish for Mark at a track where he ran 2nd just a month ago.

“It just seems like we haven’t had any luck at all this year,” said Mark. “We came out today and battled the car moving our way back up the field and just when it looked like things were coming together, the luck gets us again.

“We just have to keep digging. We have to keep working and we have to keep focused. There are a lot of things on a racetrack that you just can’t control and unfortunately we’ve seen a lot of that this year. We definitely ran across it today.”

Mark is now 16th in the Winston Cup point standings – 136 points out of 10th place.

The team returns to action next week at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the famed Brickyard 400.