Fresh from a great race at Speedway95 and two weeks off between races, Team SAR was excited and optimistic about this last day of racing for the 2004 season. We were confident that the car would be competitive, we were within reach to break into the top 10 in points, and last time we raced at unity, we placed 2nd in the heat race, so we knew our setup for that track wasn't far off.
Saturday morning however, didn't start quite the way we were hoping. Times and handling for the first practice session were thrown off by a right front tire that wasn't holding air. After putting a spare on, Mark went back out for another practice to try and get a better feel for how the car was handling, but after coming back into the pits, we noticed the left hub had slid over on the axle shaft more than an inch. We slid it back in, re-locked it in place, and went out one more time. But examining it after that practice showed it slid over again. Team SAR went to work, pulling the hub off, thoroughly cleaning off any oil, and scuffing it with some sand paper. We were hopeful it would hold for the first feature.
The first feature started out great, and Mark held the #20 in 3rd place for the first six or seven laps. But as the faster cars started working their way through traffic, the #20 got sandwiched between the #9 and #29 cars. They all got really loose, but Mark never lifted and managed to save the #20, and the #29 held on too. The #9 wasn't as lucky and spun off in turn 2. Everyone thought the caution was coming out, but the #9 kept moving so the yellow never flew. A couple other cars jumped back in the gas faster than Mark and the #20 slipped back to 12th. Determined to make up at least some ground Mark kept on pushing and fought his way back to a 10th place finish.
For the second feature and the last race of the year, there was a lot on the line for a lot of people. Emotions were high, and so was the amount of contact. Early on, the #88 car got loose and came down in front of the #20 car. With no where to go, Mark drove right into him. Both drivers did a great job saving their cars, and soldiered on. However, a lap later the red flag came out for a wild crash in turn 2 that sent the #8 car several feet in the air and flipping end over end. That's also when Mark lost the front brakes on the #20 car. None the less, he soldiered on, and stayed out of trouble the rest of the race, posting a 6th place finish and edging his way to 10th in points! What a great finish for the season! Next year should be even better!