Jack Sprague No. 2 American Commercial Lines Daytona Team Report
NASCAR Truck Series Race 1 of 25 — Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
FAMOUS FIGURES: Veteran driver and three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague has competed in six events at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, collecting one win, two top-five and two top-10 finishes. Last season, Sprague started from the pole position and went on to win the race.
COMPETING FOR A REPEAT: In last year’s season opener at Daytona, Sprague beat Johnny Benson and Travis Kvapil to the checkered flag by a minuscule 0.031 seconds; one of the closest finishes in Truck Series history. Sprague returns to Daytona to defend his win with a new organization, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), a new teammate, Ron Hornaday, a new crew and a new sponsor, American Commercial Lines.
AND THE WINNERS ARE…: With the addition of three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague to the KHI roster for 2008, KHI now has the distinct advantage of having all three 2007 series opening winners in house. Sprague won the 2007 season opener with one of the closest finishes in Truck Series history by holding off Travis Kvapil and Johnny Benson. For the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series openers, KHI team co-owner Harvick swept the weekend leading Dave Blaney across the finish line for the Nationwide Series win and narrowly edging out Mark Martin for his first Daytona 500 victory. For 2008, one goal is in place for the season openers, repeat last year’s victories and bring the wins home to KHI.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 American Commercial Lines team will begin a brand new season with a brand new chassis. No.020 will make its debut February 15th in the Chevy Silverado 250. The team tested this chassis during preseason testing and likes the feel and balance of the truck.
PERFECT ON THE POLE: Sprague comes into the 2008 season as the Truck Series leader for most pole positions. Last year at this time, Sprague claimed his first victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway winning from the pole position. Nine of Sprague’s 28 career wins have come from the pole position.
BACK TO THE BOWTIE: After competing in a Chevrolet the majority of his career, Sprague made the decision to move to another manufacturer late in the 2005 season. Two years later Sprague is back behind the wheel of a bowtie as he joins KHI. Sprague claimed all three of his Truck Series championships driving under the Chevrolet banner. Sprague joins Truck Series drivers Ron Hornaday, Matt Crafton, Brendon Gaughan and a host of others competing for the 2008 Championship for the bowtie brigade.
FAMILIAR NAME, NEW ROLE: Andy Houston joins KHI and the No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet team as spotter for Sprague. His father Tommy was recently inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. The younger Houston was once a prominent figure in all three of NASCAR’s elite series making 121 Truck Series, seven Nationwide, and 22 Sprint Cup Series starts. Houston’s driving career spanned from 1996-2005. He has driven for such notables as Cal Wells, Felix Sabates and Ed Rensi. Hanging up his helmet in 2005, Houston brings years of experience as a driver and now translates his knowledge to be the eye in the sky for veteran driver Sprague.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF RACE: It is well known that the driver of the No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet, Jack Sprague, and teammate Ron Hornaday are friends on and off the track. However, there is always a healthy dose of competition running through their veins, no matter what they are doing. During the off season Sprague took Hornaday back to his home state of Michigan to enjoy some extracurricular competition. Sprague and Hornaday went snowmobiling taking in a foot of fresh powder. Was there any racing involved? “Actually we kept things pretty tame," said Sprague. "I was afraid that Hornaday might have a little more trouble than he did. I did not know he had been snowmobiling before. We had a lot of fun. Michigan is beautiful that time of year and when you get to pal around with a friend like Hornaday it’s always cool.”
DAYTONA APPEARANCES: Sprague will be signing autographs while in the Daytona Beach area for Speedweeks at the Volusia Mall Sears Wednesday, February 13 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. and at the Chevrolet Racing Display at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Midway Friday, February 15 from 3:30-4:15 p.m.
Jack Sprague Quotes:
LAST YEAR, LAST LAP AT DAYTONA, YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO WIN, WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
“I had so much adrenaline pumping, just thinking about the win. I knew Johnny [Benson] was behind me and I was pretty sure he was going to go with me. I thought he pulled out a lap too soon, but I knew I had to go with him or I was going to be hung out to dry. We pulled out and tried it. I never thought after we pulled out that I would be sitting in victory lane that night, but it happened and it was awesome.”
THIS YEAR YOU HAVE A TEAMMATE TO WORK WITH, DO YOU THINK THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
“I’m definitely going to try and draft with Hornaday. I hope that we can work together to push each other across the line at the checkered flag. To be honest I would love to be first, but if it’s he and I at the end, it will be fun. I just want to stay out of trouble all day and be there like we were last year to contend for the win.”
YOU ARE GOING INTO YOUR 12TH FULL-TIME SEASON IN THE TRUCK SERIES, WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS THIS YEAR?
“Ultimately I still want to compete for wins and the championship. I have a little bit of a learning curve to overcome this year beginning with a new organization, new team and a new crew chief. However, I really believe that Hornaday and I are in some of the best equipment in Truck Series competition right now. I ultimately would like to finish one-two in the point standings this year, it will be tough but I think we can do it.”
Ernie Cope Quotes:
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU TO WIN AT DAYTONA? “Winning at Daytona would be huge, not only because it’s winning at Daytona, but because it would set the tone for the season. I would be excited if we helped Jack repeat, but I would be more proud for the guys. We work all winter to make these trucks what they are and winning at Daytona would be validation that all those long days, nights and weekends pay off.”
HOW WILL NEW SPACER RULE AFFECT THE HANDLING OF THE TRUCK? “For Daytona it really is not changing things that much. However, when we get to California and Atlanta it really loosens up the trucks and slows them down.”
WHAT ARE YOUR KEYS TO WINNING AT DAYTONA?
“Miss the crash, have clean pit stops and pick the correct lane at the end. Since KHI now has two trucks competing at Daytona, I feel like the last key we already have is with a drafting partner in Ron [Hornaday].”
ABOUT AMERICAN COMMERCIAL LINES:
American Commercial Lines is a leader in the marine transportation and manufacturing business. Through its subsidiary companies, ACL owns and operates approximately 2,800 barges and 160 towboats; transporting a vast array of cargos such as grain, coal, steel, chemicals, petroleum products, edible oils, fertilizers and construction materials on the U.S. inland waterways. ACL also owns the largest single-site manufacturing facility for vessels in the United States, offering technically advanced marine design and manufacturing capabilities for both inland and ocean service vessels. ACL is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol ACLI. For more information about ACL generally, visit www.aclines.com.
ABOUT KEVIN HARVICK INC.:
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full time Truck Series teams: the No. 33 Camping World/VFW Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday as well as the No. 2 American Commercial Lines (ACL)/RVs.com Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Camping World/RoadLoans.com Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick, Ron Hornaday and Cale Gale competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. 2008 marks KHI’s fifth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Please visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.
QUICK NOTES
February 15, 2008
Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Chevy Silverado 250
Race length: 100 laps/250 miles
Banking: 31-degrees in the turns
3-degrees on the straightaways
Track layout: 2.5 miles
Shape: Tri-oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Wednesday:
Practice: 4:30-5:30 p.m., ET
Thursday:
Final Practice: 11:15-1:15 p.m., ET
Qualifying: 7:10 p.m., ET
TV: The Chevy Silverado 250 can be seen live on SPEED at 8 p.m., ET.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 7:30 p.m., ET
No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet Silverado Specs:
Chassis: 020
Engine: PME
