Mark McFarland: MBNA America 200 preview

DOVER, Del. -- Mark McFarland, the reigning NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Champion, will compete in his second of three races in the No. 6 Hungry Drivers Dodge this weekend in the MBNA America 200 at Dover International Speedway, better known as "The Monster Mile." Last Saturday, McFarland made his first start for Tommy Baldwin Racing's Hungry Drivers program at Lowe's Motor Speedway where he posted a solid 22nd place finish.

McFarland will have double the work load this weekend in Dover. Not only will he compete in the MBNA 200 NASCAR Busch Series event, but he will also drive in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in the No. 59 Dodge owned by HT Motorsports.

"This will be the first time I have had to pull double duty and while I know it's going to be a lot of work, I am looking forward to it. Having the extra seat time and having the experience of actually racing on a track that I never raced the night before, will be a big advantage and really help our chances for another strong run on Saturday."

Following last Saturday's Busch race, McFarland set off for Dover International Speedway on Sunday to get a little extra practice for this weekend's event by driving some laps in one of the Monster Mile Driving School cars. While McFarland admits the cars don't carry the same speed as the Busch cars will when they hit the track next weekend, he feels he was still able to learn a lot about the characteristics of "The Monster Mile."

"I got a lot of good laps in which is going to be a big help to us. It allowed me some time to familiarize myself with all of the bumps and dips in the track. It is a pretty challenging track. I found that turns two and four can be treacherous because as you come out of those turns the car naturally wants to go up into the wall. My biggest focus while I was there was learning how to enter and exit the corners and trying out different lines to gain more speed. Overall, I got a lot more comfortable with the track and have a good knowledge base to start from when we unload this weekend."