Life of a Local Boy! Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1974 at the age of 15

Mark began racing in 1974 at the age of 15. He says that he kept surprising himself and his father at how good he was. So his father, Julian, helped him keep going!

Answer: 1977

Mark won the Rookie of the Year in 1977 and the following year he was crowned the ASA Champion for 1978! He was the youngest driver in ASA history to win a Championship. He ended up winning a total of 4 championships before he moved on to NASCAR.

Answer: 1981

In 1981, Mark began racing his own cars on a limited schedule, but soon found out it was expensive and he couldn't do it on his own.

Answer: He played Little League baseball, made ceramic pottery and took care of his tropical fish

Mark's ability in baseball was that he had speed. Imagine that! He also made over 100 pieces of pottery that he gave to his family for Christmas presents. He also learned so much about his tropical fish that he could treat diseases that they would get!

Answer: 2

Mark's first car was a 1955 Chevy. It was orange and sponsored by Shaw's Auto Clinic and Martin trucking. The drivers seat was mounted in the center of the car so that he was better protected if he was hit in the side!

Answer: April 12, 1974

On April 12, 1974, Mark finished his heat races and feature race 6th, 5th, 2nd, 3rd. He won a whopping $56 for his efforts!

Answer: True

On Labor Day weekend of that same season, Mark won on Saturday at Wynne Stadium in Heber Springs, Arkansas. On Sunday, Mark finished 7th in a 50 lap race in Monett, Missouri. Then on Monday, he won a 50 lap race, which he led every lap, at MO-Ark Speedway in West Plains, Missouri.

He went on to win 27 feature races in 1976. Out of a total of 97 races, he finished in the top three of all but 12. No wonder he was the ASA champ that year!! WOW!

Answer: true

Ex-NASCAR racer, Joe Frasson offered Mark a car to run the 1978 Daytona 500, but Mark and his dad thought that he needed more short track experience before tackling such a big place!

Answer: April 3rd, 1981

On April 3, 1981, at the North Wilksboro Speedway, Mark made his debut. He qualified 5th, after 166 laps he lost a cylinder and dropped out of the race.

Answer: He got into weight lifting

Mark drank heavily from 1982 to 1988. That was when he decided he had lost everything once before when he didn't make it the first time he tried in NASCAR, he wasn't going to do it again. So he began weight lifting. He gets up 5 mornings a week and works out for about an hour and 10 minutes .

He was able to redirect his dependence on alcohol to physical fitness. Ask anyone on the NASCAR circuit and they will tell you he is the guru of physical fitness!

Answer: His sister set him up

In 1983, Mark came home to Batesville for Christmas. His sister Glenda introduced them and the rest was history. They dated and he took her to the Daytona 500 in 1984 and he propsed on the way home! They were married October 27, 1984. Arlene had 4 daughters from a previous marriage, Rachel, Stacey, Heather and Amy. They also have a son together. Matthew Clyde. He races too!

Answer: 1988

Mark and Jack began talking in mid 1987. Steve Hmiel, that later became Mark's crew chief, hooked them up. They actually started racing in the 1988 season. They finished 15th in points that year!

Answer: 1989 at Rockingham

Mark exclaimed in victory lane "My life is fulfilled, I am the lickiest man on Earth." He made it to victory lane on October 22, 1989 just 5 days before his 5th wedding anniversary. What a way to celebrate!

Answer: Stroh's Light

Stroh's Light was his sponsor in 1988, his first year. Foldgers also sponsored Mark before Valvoline became his primary sponsor a couple of years later.

Answer: Dale Earnhardt

Mark lost the championship by 26 points that year. According to Mark "It was the most humiliating kick in the teeth."

Answer: Watkins Glen

Mark won the 1993, 1994 and the 1995 races at Watkins Glen. His fans dubbed it a "three peat."

Answer: 12th

From 1989 to 2000, Mark did not finish lower than 8th! He came in 2nd 3 times, 1990 and 1993 to Dale Earnhardt and in 1998 to Jeff Gordon. In the 2001 season, Mark finished 12th. The lowest since his first year with Jack Roush Racing!

Answer: 32nd

Along with the 32 wins, Mark also had 188 top 5 finishes and 293 top 10 finishes out of 494 starts ... not bad.

Answer: 45

Mark's Busch Series career was good for wins, but the funny thing was he only placed in the top 10 in points once! That was in 1987 and he was 8th. But Mark didn't run a full Busch series schedule most of the time. He just raced those here and there. Imagine what he would have done if he had run every race every season!

Answer: The Coca Cola 600

Mark won the longest NASCAR race in a season at Lowe's Motorspeedway in Concord, North Carolina. Along with that win, he also won the Winston No Bull Million Dollar Bonus. He and a lucky fan (wish I had been that lucky fan)!

Answer: 1998

1998 was a great year for Mark, and for Jeff Gordon. Between the two of them, they won a total of 20 of the races out of 33! That only left 13 for the other 41 drivers to go after! Mark took 7 wins that year and Jeff got the other 13. He also took the championship and Mark came in second ... always a bridesmaid, never the bride!

Answer: 41st

Mark's best year was in 1989 where he won 6 poles and in 1991 and 1993 he won 5! Impressive!

Answer: True

The Daytona 500 eluded Mark. He has won an IROC race there. As a matter of fact, Mark is a multiple IROC champion. The IROC series is where different drivers from all motorsports race equal cars against each other. Mark kicks butt in those cars!

Answer: True

Mark was co-owner with Jack Rush for the number 17 Dewalt tools car driven by Matt Kenseth.

Answer: 6

Mark has driven the number 6 car since he began racing with Jack Roush in 1988. I couldn't imagine him with any other number! It would be like Jeff Gordon giving up 24 ... yeah right!!