RICHMOND, VA (May 3, 2002) - To say things didn't work out for Jack Sprague in the Hardee's 250 at Richmond International Raceway is an understatement.

       "We started the race on the pole by default because of rain, which I thought would be to our advantage, but it didn't work out that way," said Sprague, who finished a disappointing 18th in the NASCAR Busch Series event.  "We fell back in the pack right at the start, and then wound up getting hit from behind and put into the wall on Lap 12. The car was wrecked pretty good and the guys worked their butts off to keep me on the lead lap as long as we could. Eventually, we lost one and came home 18th.  There really isn't a whole lot to say about tonight other than it really could have been worse. We lost the points lead, which isn't what we wanted, but things change so much that we can turn things around."

        For the second week in a row, Sprague's red, black and silver NetZero Monte Carlo started from the top spot based on points as qualifying was canceled Thursday due to rain.  It's the first time Sprague started from the pole at the .750-mile Richmond fast track.

    "It looks like I've got this qualifying thing figured out - I just pray for rain and start up front," said Sprague.  "I can usually tell around 10 laps into practice how good the car is and I knew right away.  I knew we had a good car that could run up front.  It just wasn't a car that would have won the pole. The NetZero team definitely has it together when it comes to race trim, but we're still trying to get it right with qualifying."

    After the early incident, Sprague's real challenge throughout the event was keeping his battered NetZero Chevy on the lead lap. That proved to be a large task considering he headed to the pits for repairs on almost all of the 11 caution flags that punctuated the race.

    "I came in the pits so many times that I lost count," said Sprague. "The guys kept me on the lead lap and did a ton of work to the car.  They're awesome.  My going a lap down was my doing on the race track and I think that shows how these guys don't cave under pressure and are focused on what counts."

    Sprague fell to second in the NBS championship chase to Richmond race winner, Jason Keller.  Sprague has 1448 points, 34 markers behind Keller.

    Next up for Sprague and the NetZero Chevy will be the Busch 200 NASCAR Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway. The event will take the green flag Saturday, May 11 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  The eleventh 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.