Talladega, Ala.– They say good things come to those who wait, and that adage proved true this afternoon in Talladega, Ala. Mark Green’s patience was rewarded as he drove the #23 Vassarette Chevrolet to an 11th place finish in the Aaron’s 312.

Green, who qualified 35th in a back up car on Thursday, was forced to go to the rear of the field after the team made some pre-race adjustments that were not allowed under NASCAR’s impound policy. He methodically worked his way though the pack, narrowly avoiding the multi-car accidents that Talladega Superspeedway is famous for on more than one occasion.

“It was a combination of a good plan, a good car and a lot of luck,” said Green. “You can get in a whole lot of trouble in a very short time on this track and we just wanted to survive early and be around to make a run at the end.”

Green ran with the leaders most of the afternoon and his high water mark was sixth position. He would likely have finished in the top 10 if a couple of late race cautions hadn’t bunched up the field.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Mark and our crew,” said Crew Chief Kenneth Campbell. “Not just the guys here, but everyone on the team. When we rolled that back-up car out on Thursday it had to be ready to qualify and it was. The guys in the shop put us in this race and Mark put us where we needed to be.”

The race was delayed more than three hours due to rain and began under caution. A 16-car accident after about only 10 green-flag laps quickly thinned out the field. There were a total of 10 caution periods and the race was red flagged once. A green-white-checkered finish extended the race into the evening and the final laps were run in near darkness.

“It was a long, long day but I’ll take it anytime,” said Green. “The Vassarette Chevrolet really ran great. It is amazing to think it was a backup car. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the guys in the shop for giving me a great car and to the Bill Davis Racing guys for a strong motor under the hood.”

Green won’t have much time to enjoy the accomplishment as there is a quick turnaround this week. He will be behind the wheel again on Friday night at the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 in Darlington S.C.