on this year’s Daytona 500 it will
mark the 44th running of an event that dates back to 1959.
When Mark starts up the No. 6 Viagra Ford Taurus it will also
mark 20 years and three days since Mark took to the track
for his first Daytona 500 back on February 14, 1982.Driving the No. 02 car sponsored by a small manufacturer of wood stoves in North Carolina, Mark qualified 26th in the race, but dropped out just 75 laps into the event with engine problems, for a 30th place finish. Legendary driver Bobby Allison went on to win the race.
Mark would finish out the 1982 season and run a limited number of Winston Cup races in 1983 before returning to the ASA circuit the following year. In fact he would not run another full Cup season until Jack Roush came calling in 1988. However, Mark was not finished just yet.
Twenty years later Mark returns to the Daytona 500 as one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history. His 32 Winston Cup victories are the fourth-most among active drivers and his 41 career Winston Cup poles are the fifth most in Winston Cup history. In fact Mark has started in 437 straight Winston Cup races, dating back to Feb 18, 1988 - ironically 14 years and one day prior to the start of this season’s Daytona 500, which will be his 18th in the famed event.
Mark, who now resides in Daytona, has finished in the top five in the Daytona 500 on five occasions and has garnered three top five finishes in the famed event. He has finished in the top 10 in two of the last three Daytona 500’s, including a fifth place finish in 2000. His highest finish in a Daytona 500 came in 1995 when he ran to a third place finish.
A lot has changed for both Mark and Winston Cup racing in the 20-year span since his first run at the race in 1982. “It has changed a lot since those days,” said Mark. “The sport has grown a lot and obviously so has the fan interest and attention it gets.
“In those days you would basically go into a race with a few people and everybody had to do everything. Now everybody has crews with several people and it’s all very specialized.” Even with all his famed accomplishments on the track Mark will be looking for his first Cup win at Daytona International Speedway this season.
“It’s the big one and it’s one what I’ve never won,” said Mark. “Obviously it would be great to start out the 2002 season with my first win at the Daytona 500 - That would mean a lot to me.”
But Mark also says that there is a lot of racing to be done even after the checkered flag drops on February 17. “It’s a long season and as soon as Daytona is over it will be time to head to Rockingham and race again so you can’t get too caught up in just winning one race. It is a big one, but there are 35 more to go after it is over.”
As for the season, Mark is equally excited to get 2002 underway. Last season marked the first time in 12 years that Mark did not finish inside the top 10 in the points standings, and while many teams would be happy with a 12th place finish, Mark is ready to move back up front.
“I’m excited to get back out there,” said Mark. “I feel really good, from both a physical and mental standpoint, and I’m just ready to get back out on the track and compete.
“I’ve never run races for the enjoyment of riding round and round on the track. I run races to win. Mark will have his next shot at a win in two weeks when he and the No. 6 Viagra Racing Team officially start-off the 2002 Winston Cup season in Daytona. Mark will run the Kraft Ford Taurus in the Bud Shootout on Feb. 11.
