The Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400

Mark was optimistic going into the weekend after he qualified the Viagra® The 6 car at the Rock

(sildenafil citrate) Taurus ninth to start Sunday's Pop Secret 400. The race started off with a caution on the first lap when Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott got together. Mark was in 10th place when the race resumed.

By lap 42, he told the crew that the car would not drive off the corner very well and the rear tires were spinning. As the car continued to get loose, he lost a lap to the leaders by lap 73. The team pitted for air pressure and wedge adjustments a few laps later. Mark was able to regain his lap as the leaders cycled through their green flag pit stops. Unfortunately, the car was still too loose for Mark to drive it and he lost his lap again on lap 117 as he dropped to 31st place.

With only two cautions all day, the team pitted under green again on lap 157. They made an adjustment to the rear bar, but during the stop the air gun used to change the front tires broke, resulting in a 30-second pit stop. In addition to the lengthy stop, NASCAR penalized the team and held Mark in the pits another 15 seconds. It is illegal to use more than two air guns during a pit stop, but when one failed there was no other option for the team. That cost Mark two more laps, which dropped him to 38th place, three laps down from the leaders.

The car was pushing now, and Mark was the only car on his lap so there was no way for him to advance his track position. He lost another lap on the track and was still in 38th place, four laps down, by lap 275.

Mark came in for his final pit stop of the day on lap 334. The car still needed to turn better, so the Viagra® team added wedge in addition to four tires and fuel. By now there were several other drivers who were also four laps down. Mark could finally race for track position and advanced to 34th place by the end of the race.

"We had a tough day today," Mark said. "We missed the set-up from the very start and since we were only able to pit under caution once that hurt our chances to recover. We also had some bad luck in the pits with a broken air gun and the penalty. There is not much we can do but keep our chins up and head to Homestead next weekend."

"Mark started off with a rear bar he didn't like and he was spinning the tires so bad it actually made the clutch start to slip," Jack Roush said. "Later as we made the other changes we couldn't make it any better. We'll go get 'em in Homestead."

Next Sunday the Winston Cup Series will race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.