Sprague, NetZero Chevy Roll
Home 14th in NetZero 250 at Pikes Peak
FOUNTAIN, CO (July 27, 2002) - Jack Sprague and his No. 24
NetZero Chevrolet Monte Carlo didn't have the results they were hoping for
as he rolled to a 14th-place finish in the NetZero 250 NASCAR Busch Series
race at Pikes Peak International Raceway Saturday.
"There's not a whole lot to say about today," said Sprague. "It was
an uneventful race, which is surprising. PPIR usually has some good racing
action. There was only one caution and not much of the racing you'd expect
to see here. The NetZero Chevy was loose going in the corners and pushed a
bit in the middle of the turn. This car isn't a favorite of mine and I hope
we never bring it back. If you put aside the few good finishes this car had
at Dover and Loudon, it's been nothing but a headache to handle."
As it was in previous races with the car Sprague
calls "evil," the Spring Lake, MI driver had his work cut out for him after
disappointing 24th-place qualifying effort Friday.
At the drop of the green flag, Sprague's red, silver
and black NetZero entry lingered around the middle of the pack eventually
working its way into the Top-10 during the first pit cycle. Sprague later
pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and major chassis adjustment, all in a
lightning quick 15.53 seconds. Unfortunately, the adjustments did little to
improve the way Sprague's mount handled for the remainder of the race.
Despite turning in lap speeds faster than the leaders at times during the
closing stages of the event, Sprague just managed to stay on the lead lap
and eventually settling for his 14th-place finish.
"I said this car was extremely evil when I had it at
Chicago a few weeks ago I just didn't have the chance to race it because the
engine blew up on Lap 14," Sprague stated. "I quickly remembered how much I
hated it when we got to PPIR. I thought we'd end up with a Top-10, not a
14th-place finish. We're still third in the points race, but we're losing
ground each week. We need some really great finishes in the next few weeks
to catch back up."
Sprague earned $21,385 in prize money and now has
2815 points, 219 markers behind the front-running Greg Biffle in the 2002
NBS championship chase
Sprague and the NetZero Chevy's next venture is the Kroger
200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The event will take the green flag
Saturday, August 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The event will be
telecast live on TNT. MRN Radio will also broadcast the race live worldwide
on more than 400 stations including the American Armed Forces Network.
ABOUT NETZERO.
NetZero is a United Online company. United Online is
a leading value-priced 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
