RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 09: Justin Marks, driver of the #42 Katerra Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway on September 9, 2016 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

NASCAR driver training for the Daytona 500 in the most unusual way


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Justin Marks is training for his first Daytona 500 in the NASCAR Cup Series in February, and the 36-year-old has trained for the event in a very unusual way.

Marks decided to make an attempt to climb to the peak of Aconcagua, which is the highest point of the Andes Mountains and the highest point outside of Asia.

According to ESPN's Bob Pockrass, Marks made it 21,900 feet in six days, and he finished about 900 feet short of the peak.

Related: Driver returns to the Cup Series and plans on having a very busy year

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"It was big," Marks said. "We didn't make it to the top, but we made it really close. ... It was an altitude test for me. Even where we turned around, I was at the highest point in the world outside of Asia."

"The hardest part of it is pushing yourself to your absolute limit, finding what your absolute limit is," Marks said. "It was incredibly painful and it was uncomfortable, but knowing you got yourself to the absolute limit, that's awesome."

Marks eventually wants to climb Mount Everest, but he'll have to put that on hold as the Daytona 500 approaches in February. He has a busy season planned as he will race in several different series, and the grueling racing season will likely seem like a cakewalk compared to climbing a mountain.

 

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