Sprague, NetZero Racing Team Crunched in "Big One" at Talladega
TALLADEGA, AL (April 7, 2003) It didn't take Jack Sprague and the NetZero
Racing Team long to find out about "The Big One" at Talladega Superspeedway.
Known for it's crunching, multiple-car accidents, the 2.66-mile Talladega
oval wasted little time spoiling Sprague's and the hopes of more than 20
other drivers in a grinding wreck on Lap 4 of Sunday's Aaron's 499 NASCAR
Winston Cup event.
"I thought I got through the wreck," said Sprague of the wild melee. "I
went to the middle of the racetrack and saw one car come down the track. I
got hit in the right side and got sent back into the wreck. It's too bad,
the NetZero Pontiac qualified well and it was running good. I tried to
position myself to where I could miss it if possible. I couldn't miss it, I
guess, or I would have."
Sprague posted one of the best qualifying efforts of his young NASCAR
Winston Cup career Friday with a speed of 184.391 miles per hour, 20th on
the starting grid. Unfortunately, a run at a solid finish evaporated quickly
when Sprague and his NetZero Pontiac suffered severe front-end damage in the
early crash. The team spent 79 laps making repairs to the car before Sprague
returned to the track on Lap 82 of the 188-lap event. Sprague then soldiered
his way to the finish eventually taking the checkered flag in 34th place.
"The guys did a good job repairing the damage on the car," commented
Sprague. "The NetZero Pontiac ran relatively well after we got back out
there considering the circumstances."
Sprague and his NetZero Racing team will travel to the short track of
Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for the Virginia 500 scheduled for Sunday, April
13 at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The ninth NASCAR Winston Cup event of
the season will be telecast live on FOX and will be broadcast worldwide by
MRN Radio.
ABOUT NETZERO.
