Sprague Gets Second Chance at Richmond

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 4, 2002) -- Team NetZero and driver Jack Sprague would like nothing more than to take advantage of past experience and success at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in Friday's Funai 250 NASCAR Busch Series event. "The only thing I love better than racing at Richmond is winning at Richmond," said Sprague, who finished fifth in Saturday’s Gatorade 250 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. "I love racing here and it's definitely one of my favorite tracks. It's a great facility with a smooth track. It's perfect for side-by-side racing. “This team's had great victories and some really good runs here. We'd like to have a better run than our disappointing one here back in May. It's not a matter of knowing how to get around the track because I definitely know how to do that. It's really more about hitting the setup from the get go. Then you should be in good shape for the whole race." Sprague was eliminated from contention in his last Richmond appearance thanks to an early crash in the Hardee’s 250. "We showed up at Richmond back in the spring with high expectations," said Sprague, who started the May Busch Series event at RIR from the pole position after rain washed out qualifying. "We felt good about getting a good finish, but got caught up in a wreck on Lap 12. It hurt us for the rest of the night, but I know we can make up for that this weekend and am looking forward to getting a second chance a decent run." Sprague, a Spring Lake, Mich., native, has 11 previous Richmond starts entering this weekend's 250-lap event. Seven of those starts came in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and produced a pair of wins -- the 1998 Virginia Is For Lovers 200 and the 2001 Kroger 200. The second win is remembered for Sprague's massive victory lap burnouts that concluded with the back tires of his NetZero Chevy bursting into flames at the start/finish line. "Winning my last truck race at Richmond was definitely cool, especially doing a burnout like that," said Sprague. "The crowd was loving it, but I'd like another chance at it. A burnout in the Busch car would help this team for sure." The Funai 250 will take the green flag on Saturday, September 6 at 8 p.m. EDT. The event will be the 26th of 34 NASCAR Busch Series races this season and will be broadcast live on TNT and PRN Radio.