That is Mark's assessment of leading the Winston Cup series points race
with nine races left in 2003 and having scored one win in the past
two seasons.Mark became the first driver to knock Sterling Marlin from atop the series standings this season, when he took a six-point lead with his 16th-place finish in Sunday's rain-shortened New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Mark's run Sunday wasn't impressive, considering he blew a tire and at one point fell to 32nd place. But Marlin's 21st-place finish allowed Mark to move into the lead.
It's the latest chapter in what has become an increasingly tight and bizarre championship race this season. After Sunday's race, won by rookie Ryan Newman, the top-five drivers are separated by 67 points - the closest race since the current points system was implemented in the 1970s.
"We had a really fast race car. We had a flat, should have ruined it and almost walled it, but saved it. We need to be thankful for the things we did do," Mark said.
"It would be a lot more exciting for me if we had run fifth or sixth like it looked like we would, but then we had the flat tire. Of course I would be a lot more disappointed if I had hit the wall."
Mark's lone win this season came in the series' longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. Mark has remained among the most consistent performers this season, with 16 top-10 and eight top-five finishes in 27 starts.
"My guess is that because all the teams have had some amount of trouble at different parts of the year, nobody has made a run like they have in the recent past," said Jack Roush, Mark's car owner. "I don't think we've had a great year, but it's been a growth year.
"Mark is not going to take himself out. Mark is not going to beat himself. He won't push the car to the point where he will break it or wreck it. He certainly has an attitude about him - if it works out, that's fine, but he's not holding his breath."
Mark warned he would not get into a habit in these final races of watching the points situation every weekend.
"I'm not going to be any fun to cover, I promise, because I'm not going to say nothing until it's over," he said. "Believe me, I won't talk about it. You guys are going to pull your hair out if I stay in this shape."
