Sprague, NetZero Chevy Grab Another Top-10 Finish at
Darlington
DARLINGTON, SC
(March 16, 2002) - Jack Sprague's
successful return to the NASCAR Busch Series continued Saturday at
Darlington Raceway as the veteran Hendrick Motorsports driver muscled his
No. 24 NetZero Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a ninth-place finish in the
Darlingtonraceway.com 200.
"It's unreal how this day ended up," Sprague
said. "Another 10 laps and I think I could have picked up a few more spots.
I'm not complaining with the finish considering how the race started out."
Sprague's red, black and silver
NetZero Monte Carlo got off to a slow start posting the 27th
quickest time in qualifying, a lap of 164.678 miles per hour on the tough
1.33-mile Darlington oval.
"We thought we had a shot at the pole considering we had
a great test at Darlington last week," Sprague said. "The car was tight in
the center of the corner in practice, but then got really loose in
qualifying. The crew worked right down to the last minute in Happy Hour and
got the car to where we ended up with a darn good car for the race."
Sprague's raceday effort also proved to be a test as he
was involved in an incident with Ron Hornaday and Casey Mears on Lap 6.
Mears wound up driving over the right front of Sprague's NetZero Chevy
causing significant damage to the nose of the racecar.
"The deal with the No. 66 car (Mears) wasn't my fault and
all I was hoping I didn't have a tire going down," Sprague said. "Hornaday
was trying to get underneath us, but neither of us were budging either. It
was a bad deal, but it could have been worse."
Sprague soldiered on for the next 20 circuits before
heading to pit road for repairs under caution. A number of other trips to
pit road throughout the event allowed Sprague's crew to eventually fix the
damaged racer, all while keeping the driver on the lead lap and in
contention for a good finish.
"My guys did a great job in the pits today," Sprague
said. "They worked hard and never let me fall a lap down and that's what
separates the great teams from the bad. I can't do this job every week
without their dedication."
The ninth-place finish was
Sprague's fourth Top-10 effort in as many NASCAR Busch Series races this
season. Sprague is now third in the season championship standings, just 13
points out of first place.
"I hate that we lost the
points lead, but it was so close going into it today that I couldn't make
that the main focus," said Sprague, who entered the Darlington race atop the
point standings. "It's early in the year and a lot can happen. I know we can
get back where we were if we stay focused. Next week is Bristol and I love
that place. I've raced there enough to know it makes for awesome racing and
I'm glad to be getting another shot of coming out of there with a good
finish."
The Channellock 250 at Bristol
Motor Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time. The event will be the fifth of 34 NASCAR Busch Series races
this season and will be telecast live on FX. PRN Radio will also broadcast
the race live on more than 300 affiliated stations worldwide.
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.
