FONTANA, CA (April 28, 2002) - Jack Sprague didn't win
Saturday's Auto Club 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway,
but fuel conservation and a fast NetZero Chevrolet did produce a solid
fourth-place finish and keep the three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
champion a top the division points lead.
"We were two-tenths of a gallon away from running out of gas at the
end of the race, so a fourth-place finish doesn't look so bad," said
Sprague, who scored his seventh Top-10 finish in 1o Busch Series events this
season. "We led a lot of laps and were right up there all day. I guess it's
just not our time to win yet, but it's coming. We're going to win soon."
Sprague's red, black and silver NetZero Monte Carlo started from the
top spot based on points when qualifying was cancelled Friday due to rain.
It's the first time Sprague started from the pole at the California2-mile
tri-oval.
"I certainly didn't mind qualifying getting rained out because we
started the race in a better position than where I thought I would qualify,"
said Sprague. "Starting first was a good eight or nine spots better than
where I think I would have ended up for the race, so it worked out in our
favor."
Sprague led the first lap and continued doing so until the 16th
circuit when he dropped into the third position, letting Greg Biffle and
Jeff Green lead the way through lap traffic.
Sprague's only real challenge throughout the day was giving his
Hendrick Motorsports mount enough throttle to race while trying to be easy
on the gas pedal to save fuel for the end. Thanks to solid numbers
crunching by his NetZero crew, Sprague knew exactly how much gas he needed
to make it to the finish feathering the pedal during the final laps of the
race.
"We made little adjustments all day and the car would go one way, and
then back again, said Sprague. "We never quite seemed to get it totally
right, but it didn't really matter because it was handling good. I love
racing at California and glad we had a good run and didn't run out of gas at
the end. That wouldn't have been pretty. We're getting it as the weeks go
on. We'll just keep digging and sooner or later, we'll get us a win. We go
to Richmond next week, another track I love, and so who knows. Maybe we'll
get lucky there."
Sprague earned $39,825 for his fourth-place finish and opened up his
lead in the NBS season championship standings by a 32-point margin over
runner-up Jason Keller.
Next up for Sprague and the NetZero Chevy will be the Hardee's 250
NASCAR Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The event will
take the green flag Friday, May 3, at 7:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The
ninth of 34 NASCAR Busch Series races this season will be telecast live on
FX. MRN Radio will also broadcast the race live.
ABOUT NETZERO.
NetZero is a United Online company. United Online is a leading Internet
service provider that commenced operations in September 2001 as the result
of its acquisition of NetZero and Juno Online Services -- two of the most
recognized Internet access brands in the United States and Canada. Through
its subsidiaries, United Online offers both free and value-priced Internet
access services in more than 5,000 cities. The company is headquartered in
Westlake Village, Calif., with offices in New York City and Hyderabad,
India. United Online's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market
under the ticker symbol "UNTD." For more information about NetZero and
United Online, visit
http://www.unitedonline.net. To obtain a NetZero CD, please call
1-800-DEFENDER.
