The 2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

Mark and the No. 6 Viagra® (sildenafil citrate) Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2004

Racing Team used a quick car and fast pit work to earn a fifth-place finish in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 6 team posted back-to-back stops of under 14 seconds late in the race and Mark picked up two spots in the race’s final 12 laps for the strong finish.

"Pat Tryson and the Viagra team were awesome with the changes on the car,” said Mark just moments after the race. “They made it better and better as the day went on. The pit stops were just fabulous and we got it racing at the end. We had great pit stops all day by this team and I really love these guys.”

"A long green at the end was just what the doctor ordered,” added Mark. “We had a good, long run setup in it. We struggled to get going on the restarts with all that traffic and those lapped cars racing so hard. It was really strong at the end of the run. It was easy to pass guys at the end, but we didn't get enough long runs. On that last run we did and that's what we needed.

Mark was running in ninth place on lap 184 when the day’s fifth caution was issued. The team came in for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment in hopes of freeing up the car’s handling. A 13.5-second stop gained Mark four positions up to fifth place when the field went green.

Mark was running in sixth place when caution came out again on lap 200. The team pitted again for four tires, fuel and another track bar adjustment. Once again the team was stellar, posting a 13.8-second stop. Several cars took fuel only, but Mark was still running in 8th place when the field went green on lap 206 with only 61 laps to go.

The fuel window for the day had been 60 laps, but the team decided to go for the green, with crew chief Pat Tryson instructing Mark to save every bit of fuel possible. Knowing it would be close in the end, Mark quickly dropped back to 10th place, but patiently hit his marks, conserving every ounce of fuel, while still steadily gaining on the cars in front. Mark moved into eighth place by lap 240, before passing teammate Kurt Busch for seventh place on lap 255.

Mark would go on to pass the No. 38 car of Elliot Sadler and the No. 29 car of Kevin Harvick (who ran out of gas with five laps to go) to move into the field’s top five. The finish was Mark’s fourth top-five finish in seven races at Vegas.

Mark started the race 25th based on Friday’s qualifying effort. Despite struggling with the car’s inability to turn in the corner early, he was able to break into the top 20 by lap 20. The day’s first caution occurred on lap 38 with the No. 6 Taurus running in 19th position. That’s when the team went to work with the first of several key stops on the day. Taking four tires, fuel and making a wedge adjustment, the team gained Mark four positions up to 15th with a 14.65-second stop.

The car began to handle ‘tight in the middle’ and ‘loose on the outside’ Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2004

over the course of the next run, making it difficult for Mark to pass other cars. Running 13th, the team used a caution on lap 86 to come into the pits and put a spring rubber in the car’s rear end, in addition to taking on four tires and fuel. The team did an excellent job in the pits, making the necessary adjustment in 17.45 seconds, while only losing one position on the track.

Mark battled lapped traffic over the course of the next two runs, and was running 11th when caution number 4 was called on lap 168. A 14.94-second stop by the Viagra? Racing Team moved Mark up four places and into the top 10 for the first time of day at seventh place. Mark would remain in the top 10 for the remainder of the race, before going on to claim the top-five finish. The finish marked Mark’s sixth top-10 finish in seven races at Las Vegas; the most of any driver.

“I'm so thankful to have this team,” said Mark. “These guys are just fantastic. I knew we were on the verge of doing something today. They really started to step it up and get things done.”

“We just needed a little wind in our sail and now we can go to Atlanta and try to qualify a little better. We've still got work to do. We weren't good enough, but we were sure better than we had been and this was definitely a solid effort by these guys.”

Matt Kenseth won the race, recording his second consecutive victory and joining Mark and teammate Kurt Busch in the field’s top 10 on Sunday. The top-five finish moved Mark up eight spaces to 20th in the Nextel Cup point standings.

The team returns to action next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway.