By now it is well-documented
how Mark made his move from the lead pack late in Sunday's Daytona 500, only to have
a 'co-conspirator' back out on a planned coup d'etat of
leader Johnny Benson. To make matters worse, that other guy
won the race, while Mark went backward and did all he could
to hold onto fifth. But that's not important now.
What is important is that broken promises aside, this
promises to be a great season for Mark, the Daytona
Beach resident who leaves home looking better than he has in
years. For starters, Mark's back problems have lessened
considerably thanks to offseason surgery. Then consider that
Mark has normally been stuck between the Rock and a hard
place (Daytona) entering the second week of the season. Now
he heads to the Rock on a roll. Sunday's fifth-place finish
may have been disappointing due to circumstances, but it
still sends Mark up north with a top-5 spot in the points
for the first time in eight years.
As if that weren't enough, Mark is the defending champion
of this week's DuraLube/Kmart 400. His win last year was
only his second ever at the Rock, and first in the spring.
So all in all, it's safe to say that Mark is pleased with
the fact that he has broken from his traditional rough start.
"I am very pleased with fifth place," Mark said. "This was
the first time in years that I have had a car competitive
enough to be in the running to win. The crew gave me a great
car and they did an incredible job in the pits all day.
"I was hoping that Jarrett really would go with me to pass
Benson, but I guess you can never tell who your friends are
out there. Even though we didn't win, it sure is nice to
leave Daytona tied for fourth in the points and not have to
start digging out of a hole in Rockingham. The past two years
we've left Daytona in about 38th place, so this is a great
outcome for us." Very promising, indeed.
|
For the first time in three years, Mark and the
Valvoline/Cummins team will not have to dig themselves out of
a hole in the Winston Cup point standings at Rockingham.
Mark had dismal finishes at Daytona in 1999 and 1998
(31st and 38th). His win at North Carolina Speedway last
February helped boost him to eighth in the points. This year,
with a fifth place finish at Daytona under his belt, another
win at Rockingham could give him the lead.
"It is really nice to head into Rockingham and not be in a
points deficit," Mark said. "Rockingham has always been a
good track for us, and we've needed it the last couple of
years to overcome the bad luck we've had a Daytona. It is hard
enough to win a Winston Cup championship as it is, but to
start the season 31st in points certainly doesn't make it
any easier."
Mark will be running JR-52 this weekend. Although it has the
2000 Taurus sheet metal on it now, it is the same car that
won the pole in Rockingham last October and won the race at
Dover in September.
"That has always been a good car for us," Mark said.
"We've always been competitive with it. It gave us our only
pole of the year in 1999, and one of our two wins. Jimmy
Fennig and the guys have done everything with this race team
since my back surgery. I've had very little input about
anything at the shop. They have done a fantastic job getting
ready for this season, and I ran better at Daytona than I
have in years. I feel good physically and mentally, and that
means a lot to my outlook on everything."
Mark will also be kicking off his "Farewell Tour" in the
NASCAR Busch Series with his first race of the season this
weekend. He finished second in the spring race last year and
won in October. The Alltel 200 will be televised live on TNN
at 1 p.m. (EST).
|
