The 2004 Pocono 500

Mark and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Race team went into the weekend Mark at Pocono

looking to add a strong follow up to last week’s dramatic victory at Dover. After posting its top qualifying run of the season on Friday (fourth), and laying down the fastest times during Saturday’s first practice session Mark and the team were justifiably optimistic going into Sunday’s race. For the first half of the race there was nothing that indicated anything other than Mark and the team would post their second strong run in two weeks.

Unusually cool temperatures on Sunday made the car’s setup a little off when the race started. With the car exhibiting too much grip in the corners, Mark quickly fell to 12th place by lap 10. However, the car started to ‘come back’ and Mark had moved back into eighth place when the team came in for a green-flag pit stop on lap 33. The team posted what would be its fastest stop of the day, a 13.62 second stop, that helped gain a spot on the track once the remainder of the field had cycled through its stops.

Running in seventh position, Mark reported that the car was still ‘a little tight’ off the corners, and the team used a caution on lap 49 to come into the pits and make track-bar and air pressure adjustments in order to offset the car’s handling. Some of the cars ahead of Mark took only two tires, or just fuel and the team was in 11th place when green-flag racing resumed on lap 54.

With the car continuing to get better, Mark had raced back to eighth place by lap 60 when the day’s third caution was issued. In need of further adjustments, the team came into the pits again for an additional track bar adjustment and two right side tires. As some of the cars did not pit, the team returned to the field in 13th place when racing resumed on lap 66.

Mark broke back into the top 10 on lap 84, and was running in sixth place when green flag pitting started on lap 90. The team stayed out, taking the lead on lap 94 earning five bonus points, before coming into the pits on lap 96. After taking on four tires and fuel, Mark returned to the field in 19th place on lap 97. As the remainder of the field began to cycle through its stops, Mark had moved up to eighth place by lap 101.

By lap 103 Mark had moved into seventh place and was running the fastest times on the racetrack, as he continued to move forward. However the movement would be short lived and Mark radioed that he had lost the engine on lap 111. The failure ended what looked to be a strong run for the Viagra? Racing Team, who had to settle for a 36th place finish after taking the car to the garage early.

"That's disgusting," Mark said. "We've spent half the races this year -- I'll bet we've spent seven of the 14 in the garage and that's just terrible, but that's how it goes, I guess.

"Something uncharacteristic happened last week and I'm awful happy about that," he said.

Mark says the impact of Sunday's blown engine will reach far beyond this weekend.

"I just wanted to be in the points thing," he said. "We were already too far back but might have had a chance, but that's the last one there. We couldn't afford to have that happen in the last 14 before the cut off.

"What's done is done," he said. "We can't fix it and we can't change it. we're broke here again and we'll just go on to the next one."

"We had a really good car," he said. "We were still adjusting on it and stuff. They're getting me really good stuff and we were going to have a good points day, but you've got to finish these things."

"Well, we could still make it into the top 10 if they didn't have the cutoff thing at 26 races," Mark said. "but it's done now."

"Now we can just forget about points and take them as they come," he said. "There are still some more wins in this team this year."

Several other cars that were in the fight for the top 10 in points experienced difficult days as well and Mark dropped just one place to 14th in the Nextel Cup standings. After 14 races – and only 93 points outside the top 10 - Mark is well within striking distance of a coveted top 10.

The team returns to action next week at Roush’s home track of Michigan, where Mark has won four times.