Birthdate: Oct. 12, 1956, Greenfield IN Residence: Greenfield, IN Ht./Wt.: 6-0, 165 Marital Status: Married (Donna) Children: Mark Emerson, Esteina Aline IRL Races: 3 1996 IRL Rank: 33 1996 Prize Money: $161,253 Mark Dismore Indianapolis "500" Record (Passed Driver's Test 1991) Car Speed Qual Laps Laps Speed or Year Name Rank Speed SP FP Comp Led Reason Out --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Quaker State Menards Special 20 227.260 14 19 129 -- Engine --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total: 1 Race 129
Mark Dismore, of Greensfield, Indiana, has made quite a name for himself in the karting world as a driver, mechanic, and retailer. Born October, 12, 1956, he began racing go-karts in 1968. From 1968 through 1989, he posted 40 Grand National karting victories. In 1982, he became the first racer in karting history to win three 2-cycle divisions, when he won enduro, sprint and dirt in the same season. A well-respected mechanic as well, he won the International Karting Federation's Master Mechanic Award for the sprint division in 1982 and the Jim Clark Award for Excellence in Motorsports in 1983. Today, he is Vice President of Comet Kart Sales, the largest karting retailer in the world!
Dismore entered the USAC Regional Midget Series in 1987, posting two thirds. The following year, he won the All-American Midget Series Fourth of July feature at Anderson, Indiana. He picked up another series victory at the SCCA Corvette Challenge race at the Grand Prix of Dallas. In 1989, he accelerated into the Toyota Formula Atlantic Pacific Division, setting three track records, earning five poles, and winning three races. He ended the season third in series point standings. In 1990, he captured the title in the Pacific Division, with eight wins in just 10 starts. Six of those races were won consecutively, breaking a 14-year-old record of four in-a-row, set by Gilles Villeneuve.
In 1989, he made his Indy Car debut at Mid-Ohio. A crash in May 1991 in the Indy "500" caused injuries to his neck, both feet, right wrist and kneecap. After the accident, he didn't start in another Indycar event until 1996 at the Indianapolis 500. He passed all five phases of the driver's test in just 71 minutes of green time, the fastest of all the rookies. In the 1996/1997 IRL season, he qualified a career best fifth, at the season opener at Loudon.
1996-97 IRL Season Results Event FP SP Laps Reason Out IRL PTS Prize Money ------------------------------------------------------------------- True Value 200 20 5 43 Clutch 15 $33,000 Las Vegas 500K 17 10 149 Accident 18 $36,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------
