I know I've told the story here before, but the only memory I have of Mark was when I didn't even know him. It was the year Wilk won Indy (don't remember the year) and we were sitting in the last set of grandstands on the sportsman side (what used to be the 1,000-foot club). Mark was sitting down front and with every round, his emotions ran a little higher and it was obvious he was more than just a fan of Wilk. Well, when they came by us in the final, Tim had him covered and was headed for the win and to watch Mark's reaction unfold was very awesome. Like I said, every round brought out more emotion than the round before and by the time the final rolled around, he had all of us in that grandstand rooting for Wilk. It was an intense moment when that win light came on to say the least.
Like I said, I didn't even know him when all of that happened. I eventually sent him a private message here on the 'Mater and asked him if he was that guy all those years ago. He replied back enthusiastically "Yes!" and told me and my wife to look him up in Wilk's pits last year in Indy. Unfortunately, last year was the first in about 30-years that I didn't make it to the Big-Go. With Mark's unfortunate passing, and by reading everyone's comments about him, I can't help but feel that I missed out by not meeting him............................really missed out.
Sorry to ramble, but it's one of my fondest memories at the races as a fan, and it happened to include this guy. RIP Mark.
Sean D