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IROC: Dismore starts from the pole at Talladega in round two of IROC 2000

14 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Talladega, AL - "I wish I were starting last," said Northern Light Indy Racing League driver Mark Dismore of his pole position starting spot in race two of the 2000 True Value IROC series. Dismore is still smarting from his 12th place finish in race one at Daytona Speedway, which is why he is starting first at Talladega. The rules determine the starting order of race two by reversing the finishing order of race one. "I hope I learned something there (at Daytona), because I certainly don't want to repeat that result." Dismore, who started eighth, had been running a strong third at Daytona when he suddenly ran into a wall of air, lost the draft and was shuffled to the rear of the 12-car field.

The forty-three year old native of Greenfield, Indiana can chalk up the IROC opener to learning the technique of drafting on a high-banked superspeedway in a full-bodied stock car; a technique learned by doing. Few have mastered it to the degree of defending True Value IROC Champion, and Daytona race one winner, Dale Earnhardt. Dismore cautions, "I hope I'm not misunderstood when I say, the car is not hard to drive, but learning to race defense a lot, and where not to put yourself in the draft is tough."

Mark A. Dismore's is the story of the quintessential American racer. He hails from the Midwest, started as a youngster in go-karts, raced Midget cars, Sprint cars, Formula cars, sedan Sports Cars and won his way up through the ranks.

His dream, like most, is to win the Indianapolis 500. In 1991, while attempting to attain his dream, he suffered serious injuries during practice for the Indy race. He hit the nose of the pit wall and severely injured his legs. As though scripted for a movie, with courage, determination and the help of his wife Donna, Dismore learns to walk again. He rehabilitates, gets right back behind the wheel of a race car and starts winning. He has competed, and won, in just about every type of car and style of racing, including his victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona for Dan Gurney.

Like many in the field of auto racing, when Mark A. Dismore is not racing - he goes racing - with his son, Mark E. Dismore. At nineteen, Mark E. has garnered numerous Karting victories and awards. He has driven SCCA Formula 2000, Formula Ford 2000, Regional and National Midget events, and is currently a rookie in the ASA Stock Car Series.

What supports and propels the Dismore men are the Dismore women, wife/mother Donna and daughter/sister Esteina Aline. Donna is very proud of her husband's True Value IROC invitation, and from the looks of things, she may soon feel that sense of pride for her son too.

However, the Mark A. Dismore story is far from over- he wants to learn a few things about stock car drafting - he wants a swig of milk on May 28th (Indy 500 victory tradition), and he wouldn't mind a taste of victory, IROC style, at Talladega on April 15th.

STARTING LINEUP - TRUE VALUE IROC, RACE 2, TALLADEGA

ROW ONE:
1. No. 12. Mark Dismore (Northern Light Indy Racing League), 3 points
2. No. 11. Eddie Cheever Jr. (Northern Light Indy Racing League), 4 points

ROW TWO:
3. No. 10. Jeff Gordon (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 5 points
4. No. 9. Greg Ray (Northern Light Indy Racing League), 6 points

ROW THREE:
5. No. 8. Dale Jarrett (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 7 points
6. No. 7. Bobby Labonte (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 8 points

ROW FOUR:
7. No. 6. Rusty Wallace (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 9 points
8. No. 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR/Busch Grand National), 12 points

ROW FIVE:
9. No. 4. Mark Martin (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 12 points
10. No. 3. Jeff Burton (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 17 points

ROW SIX:

11. No. 2. Tony Stewart (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 17 points
12. No. 1. Dale Earnhardt (NASCAR/Winston Cup), 26 points

Note: Starting order determined by reverse of finish of Race One at Daytona. Car numbers reflect driver's current position in IROC point standings. Tie-breaker: Higher finishing position in most recent event.

Text provided by George Signore

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