The 2005 Sony HD 500

Mark and the Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Racing Team secured a spot in the Nextel Cup top 10 and a place in the 10-race ‘playoff’ Mark Fontana 2005 Sept race.

for the Nextel Cup that will begin in two weeks at New Hampshire. Mark is currently fifth in the Nextel Cup point standings and he will remain in the top 10 regardless of where he finishes in next weekend’s race at Richmond.

“Our goal was to make the chase and we are in, so you have to feel really good about that,” said Mark. “We ran better than we finished all night, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Still, we accomplished our main goal and it doesn’t have to come down to the wire like it did last year. We’ll go in there next week and see what we can do and then we’ll turn our attention to those final 10 races and going after that championship.”

Mark ran inside the field’s top 10 for all but the final seven laps of the race when he chose to come down pit road after the day’s 10 th caution. Mark came in for four tires and came back out in 14 th when the field went green with just seven laps to go in the race. On the fresh tires Mark would be able to battle his way back to 11 th and thus lock up his place in the second annual 10-race chase for the Cup.

Mark started the race second and took the lead on the second lap before giving way to Kurt Busch on lap six. With the car loose, Mark fell back to eighth place by lap seven, but he quickly rebounded and moved the car into fifth place by lap 23 when the day’s second caution was issued. The team used a 13.75-second stop to hold down the fifth spot as green-flag racing resumed. With the car loose again, Mark fell back to as far as 10 th where he was running when the day’s third caution was issued on lap 47. The team came down pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment and turned in a 13.6-second stop that advanced Mark four spots to fifth when green-flag racing resumed.

By lap 83 Mark had moved to fifth and was turning the fastest times on the race track. More quick work in the pits moved Mark up to second place after the team’s third stop under caution on lap 93. Mark would remain in the field’s top five for the next 125 laps of the race.

Mark was running in fifth when the day’s ninth caution was called on lap 211. Mark Fontana 2005 Sept race.

Despite a loose handling car Mark opted to stay out for track position. By lap 220 he had dropped to seventh where he was running when the 10 th caution was called with only 10 laps to go. The team had no choice but to come into the pits and take tires. The team took four tires while some took two and Mark returned to the field outside the top 10 for the first time all day in 14th place.

"We had a good car all night, but the decision was to take two or four and we took four, and it just didn't work out,” said crew chief Pat Tryson. “We lost a bunch of spots, but that's the way it goes. It was my decision and I guess it was the wrong one. We should have done two. It seemed like track position was more important, but we didn't need that last caution there either. We would have probably gotten back to pretty close to where we were."

Mark was able to fight his No. 6 Viagra® Ford up to 11 th place by the time the day’s 11 th and final caution was issued on lap 247. He was able to hold on to the position as the field finished under a green-white-checkered finish.

Mark and the team will return to action next Saturday night at Richmond for the final race before the 26 race cutoff. Mark’s bid for the Nextel Cup championship will start a week later at New Hampshire Speedway; the first of 10 races that will decide the 2005 Champion.