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| Winning drivers at Darlington get the satisfaction of knowing they've conquered the track "Too Tough To Tame." |
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THE QUALIFYING The Mark Martin Express rolls on in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division. Mark turned in a lap of 29.440 seconds, at 167.038 mph, during Bud Pole Qualifying for the Suncom 200, and as a result, will start from the top spot for the 25th time in his NASCAR Busch Series career. It was his second Bud Pole of the season. 
Mark's Roush Racing teammate Jeff Burton qualified second,
while Matt Kenseth, who drives the Reiser Enterprises
Chevrolet in NASCAR Busch Series competition and a Roush
Racing Ford on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, took third.
David Green was fourth and Elton Sawyer fifth.
Hank Parker Jr., Mike McLaughlin, Blaise Alexander, Steve
Park and Randy LaJoie rounded out the top 10.
Mark has entered three of the previous four series events
this season, winning twice. He captured the checkered flag at
Rockingham and last week in Atlanta. Burton won at Las Vegas
and Kenseth at the season-opening race in Daytona.
Although this track is known as "Too Tough To Tame," Mark
has done a pretty good job of getting it under control. He
won the spring race in 1994 and '96 and has taken five NASCAR
Busch Series races at Darlington, the most of any driver.
Still searching for an elusive first NASCAR Winston Cup
Series title, Mark stands third in the NASCAR Busch Series
standings with 545 points, 103 behind series leader Kenseth.
Mark is second in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series standings.
Provisional starting positions 37 through 43 went to Phil
Parsons, Kevin Grubb, Tony Raines, Jason Keller, Casey
Atwood, Hut Stricklin and Buckshot Jones, respectively.
Jason Jarrett, Dave Steele, Terry Labonte, Wayne Grubb,
Ricky Hendrick, Shane Hall, Bobby Hillin, Jeff Purvis, Morgan
Shepherd and Tony Roper failed to qualify in the only round
of Bud Pole Qualifying for the SunCom 200.
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THE RACE Mark held off a furious last-lap charge by Roush Racing teammate Jeff Burton to win the SunCom 200, his third NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division victory in four starts this season. It was Mark's sixth series win at Darlington, and the second time he's won from the Bud Pole at the facility. The last time he accomplished the feat was in March 1994. 
Burton charged under Mark coming off Turn 4 toward the
white flag. The two went side-by-side through the first and
second turns, but Mark cleared his friendly rival coming
off Turn 2 on the last lap. Matt Kenseth -- who also drives
for Roush Racing in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series -- then
went to Burton's outside to claim the runnerup spot in Turn 4.
"It's too bad for Jeff Burton. He had the fastest car there
at the end," Mark said. "I've lost a lot of races that way.
We had the track position and the race was over before he had
a chance to get us back. We just tried to hang. I drove it as
hard as I could.
"I just couldn't get away from him. He was quicker than we
were. We were just at the right spot. We raced side-by-side
down there in one and two. That's something you're not
supposed to be able to do. You usually don't try it, but we
had to because it was for the win."
Fifteen of the event's 22 lead changes took place between
Mark and Burton. Burton led 10 times for a total of 65 laps,
while Mark was out front nine times for 60 circuits. Burton
gave leading that all-important last lap his best shot, but
came up short.
"I finally was able to get under him coming off of four.
I knew going through two it was gonna be really interesting,
because I was loose," Burton said. "We went through there
side-by-side, and the back of my car started coming around.
I'd rather finish dead last than get into him, and I was in a
position where I just had to lift."
Jeff Green was the highest-finishing NASCAR Busch Series
regular, taking fourth from Todd Bodine on the last lap.
Bodine came home fifth, while Hank Parker Jr., David Green,
Ron Hornaday, Elton Sawyer and Lyndon Amick rounded out the
top-10. It took Mark 1 hour, 46 minutes and 8 seconds
to complete the race at an average speed of 113.519 mph. There were five
caution flags for a total of 28 laps.
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