The 2006 Subway 500

Mark and the No. 6 AAA race team got their second straight dose of bad luck on Sunday, when Mark was caught up in a Mark at Martinsville 10/06

late accident during the Subway 500 at Marksville Speedway. Once again Mark looked poised to notch a top-five finish, but his No. 6 Ford Fusion was struck from behind and knocked into the No. 14 car of Sterling Marlin after the cars checked up for an accident on lap 469. The damage to Mark’s car did not appear severe at first, but Mark soon lost water pressure and the team discovered that the radiator had been punctured and was losing water. The No. 6 AAA crew worked feverishly to replace the lost water under the remaining cautions, and Mark was able to hang on for a lead-lap finish in 24th position.

"We had a great car today. I was real proud of our effort,” said Mark moments after the race. “We survived it, luckily. Of course, at the end we had a hole in the radiator, so we didn't get a good finish. These guys did a super job. We had a fight and a good race car."

Mark and the team battled adversity from the start at Marksville, with Mark hitting the wall early in Friday’s practice. The team was forced to go with a backup and qualify with very little practice. Still, Mark rebounded to qualify 25th. He patiently made his way up the field once the green flag dropped on Sunday, breaking into the top 20 on lap 42. Mark was running in 19th position when the second caution of the race was issued on lap 65 and the team was able to pick up five positions to 14th after a 14.43-second stop to take on four tires and fuel.

Mark moved up to 13th just a few laps later and was running there when the team came down pit road for the second time, this time under caution on lap 162. Another quick stop moved Mark into 11th place when the field resumed green-flag racing. Mark remained in 11th before pitting again under caution on lap 244 for right-side tires. Some of the cars in the field opted to stay out, so Mark restarted in 19th place. He made his way to 18th, but pitted again for four tires and fuel under caution on lap 280. With the fresh tires Mark again started making his way through the field, breaking back into the top 15 on lap 316. He had moved his AAA Ford Fusion all the way to 12th when the day’s ninth caution was called on lap 332. Crew chief Pat Tryson again brought Mark down pit road for four tires and fuel.

Mark broke into the top 10 for the first time of the day on lap 371 and moved all the way to seventh, before pitting under caution number 13 on lap 399. Several teams again stayed out, while some took two tires, and Mark returned in 18th position when the field went green on lap 406. Mark again worked his way to 14th place before pitting again for four tires under caution on lap 449. Mark returned in 16th position, where he was running when he got caught up in the accident on lap 469.

With the damage to the radiator, all the team could do was continue to replace the lost water and hope to make it to the end. Mark was able to keep the car on track until the end of the race, while remaining on the lead lap.

The finish dropped Mark to seventh in the Nextel Cup point standings. With four races remaining in the “Chase” for the Cup, Mark is currently 99 points out of first. He trails fifth by 48 points and second by only 60.