rpm.espn.com: Mark Dismore

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Thursday, December 6

Mark Dismore
By Jack Arute
ESPN.com

Team: Kelley Automotive Group (replaced by Greg Ray)
Nationality: United States

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Poles
Top 5
Top 10
Money
Best finish

2001 14 0 1 2 3 $793,325 2nd, Gateway

Career 1 4 7 16 $3,462,928 1st, Texas

Mark Dismore
Dismore

2001 Recap
The Good: As part of one of the IRL's more potent teams, Kelley Racing, Dismore had some of the best equipment available. His low key demeanor offsets the high octane personality of teammate Scott Sharp. A free exchange of setups marked their relationship.

Season Highlight: Dismore charged from the back of the pack to finish second in the inaugural IRL race at Gateway outside of St. Louis.

The Bad: Luck. Dismore couldn't buy a break. In nine of the 13 races, the Greenfield, Ind., native qualified in the top-10 -- with a pole at Texas and an outside pole at Kentucky. A myriad of woes plagued him once races started, however. A spin exiting pit road after a crewman mistakenly sprayed water on his rear wheels characterized his season.

Season Lowlight: Clearly the fastest car in this year's Indianpolis 500, Dismore was forced into the pits after leading 29 laps to change a shifting fork in his gearbox. Five laps down, Dismore returned to the race and ran speeds as much a 2 mph faster than eventual winner Helio Castroneves.

Key Stat: In 13 races, Dismore failed to finish seven and went the full distance in only the Gateway race.

2002 Outlook
What needs to be done: Shortly after the final race of 2001 at Texas, (the site of his only IRL victory in October, 1999) where his bad luck continued, Dismore was replaced at Kelley Racing by Greg Ray.

Prediction: An influx of CART teams into the IRL reduces the number of available seats for Dismore. His future will likely rest upon early season results by others and his potential to improve the fortunes of teams that suffer disappointing returns in the races before the Indianapolis 500.

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