The 2004 UAW GM Quality 500

While announcing on Thursday that 2005 would be his final season running for the Nextel Cup, Mark made it very clear that Mark racing Kurt Busch at Charlotte

his intention for the remainder of the season was to win races, while continuing to chase this season’s championship. Mark went out on Saturday night and backed that statement up in grand fashion. Powering one of the fastest cars in the race, Mark started 12th and worked his way forward. The veteran took his first lead of the night on lap 216 and Mark led the race with only 35 laps remaining. However with only 22 laps to go, Mark’s Viagra®Ford was caught up in an accident involving lapped traffic. The No. 6 Ford, which had been one of the fastest all evening, sustained major damage in the accident and the team was forced to come into the pits several times to make repairs. The team worked feverishly to stay on the lead lap and Mark was able to bring home a solid 13th place finish.

"You saw it,” said Mark just moments after the race. “It's hard for me to believe that some of these guys could pass a driver's test. I can't believe they've got a driver's license. “We did everything we could do here tonight. We gave it a great run for the whole team. There was just nothing we could do about what happened. I can't help it, I just can't help it. We had a shot, it just didn’t work out.”

Mark took the lead for the second time of the night on lap 271. Seven laps later he surrendered it to teammate Kurt Busch, before regaining the first position on lap 281. Mark held the lead for the next 20 laps, before giving way to the No. 48 car of Jimmie Johnson. Mark’s car had been strong late in the runs all night and the team’s chances to make a run for victory looked good as the race closed in on the final 20 laps. However that chance would come to a close on lap 312. Mark was battling the No. 12 car of Ryan Newman for second place as they closed in on lapped traffic. Just in front of Mark and Newman the lapped car of Jimmy Spender made contact with the off-the-pace No. 77 car. The result sent Spencer sliding up the track. Mark and Newman attempted to shoot the gap between the outside wall and Spencer, but both sustained damage in the accident. Newman would end up 14th.

Pat Tryson’s Viagra? Team used excellent work in the pits to keep Mark on the lead lap and secure the top-15 finish, as they feverishly worked to repair the severely damaged Ford. In the end Mark would return to the race in 15th place. He was able to pick up two more places and collect the 13th place finish.

“The guys did a great job getting us back out there,” added Mark. “We had to recover in the best way possible and we did that. They guys gave me a great car tonight and we had a shot to win, but we just got caught up in some other people’s mess and ended up on the short end of the stick on this one.”

Mark started the final night race of the season in 12th position and broke Mark and Jack at Charlotte

into the top 10 on just the first lap of the race. The race would prove to be a caution filled event with the first of the race’s 12 cautions being issued for a multi-car wreck on just the first lap of the night.

With the car running ‘loose’ the team continued to work with the car’s handling for the first 100 laps of the race, making several chassis adjustments in their first few pits stops. Mark broke into the top five for the first time of the race on lap 167 and would run there for the next 145 laps until the late accident.

Mark was running fourth when the night’s seventh caution was issued on lap 209. The team again came in for a chassis adjustment and four tires and fuel. A quick stop of 14.49 sent Mark back out in third place and the veteran wasted little time when the green flap dropped on lap 214, passing the No. 12 and No. 9 cars and driving into the lead on lap 216. The No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne passed Mark back for the lead just four laps later, but Mark continued to run up front. He was in third place when the race’s ninth caution was called on lap 267.

Mark used the caution to come into the pits for the sixth time of the evening to take four tires, fuel and make yet another chassis adjustment. The Viagra® Team posted its strongest performance of the evening, a 13.30-second stop that sent the No. 6 Viagra® Ford back out in first place when the field went green on lap 271.

Mark would lead the next 20 laps and continue to battle for the lead before getting collected in the accident on lap 312. Johnson went on the win the race in a wild night that saw all five of Roush Racing’s entries involved in at least one accident.

Mark remained in fifth place in the Nextel Cup points. He’s currently 186 points out of first and 29 points behind fourth with five races remaining in the season. The team returns to action next week at Marksville, where Mark has won twice.