Sprague, NetZero Pontiac Slosh to a
14th-Place Finish in Soggy Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, FL. (February 17, 2003) - Jack
Sprague made just the seventh start of his Winston Cup career and his first
attempt in the Daytona 500 a successful one finishing 14th in the annual
NASCAR Winston Cup Series season opener Sunday. Sprague's No. 0 NetZero
Pontiac finished all 109 laps in the rain-shortened event won by Michael
Waltrip.
"We kept our nose clean and stayed out of trouble,
which is half the battle here," stated Sprague. "It's a shame the race ended
the way it did, but this is a great accomplishment for the NetZero team.
This is a new team and we needed a boost and we got it here today."
At the drop of the green flag, Sprague immediately
went to work in the 43-car draft in an effort to maneuver to the front of
the field. Sprague radioed crew chief Dennis Connor early in the race that
his car was experiencing a push, or tight condition, off the corners. On Lap
36, Sprague's NetZero pit crew got the opportunity to make adjustments to
the car during the first pit stop of the day. There, Connor and the crew
opted to take on only fresh side tires as well as a full load of fuel in an
effort to gain track position.
The first yellow flag of the event flew on Lap 43
giving Sprague a chance to bring the No. 0 NetZero Pontiac back into the
pits for four fresh tires. The crew also made repairs to the left front
fender, which had incurred minor damage in the early stages of the race.
Sprague returned to the track deep in the field and moved into the 26th spot
by the time the next caution flag flew on Lap 58. Five laps later, the first
red flag of the day flew over the 45th-annual stock car classic when heavy
rains hit the speedway.
After more than a one-hour delay, the race resumed
under caution allowing Sprague to duck into the pits for new tires, fuel and
chassis adjustments. At the back of the pack and under green flag conditions
again on Lap 67, Sprague began slicing through the field to the
24th-position on the 92nd circuit. Sprague made his final pit stop of the
day under caution on Lap 97 and made then quick work of the field driving
his way to 14th before the skies opened up again and the race was
red-flagged on Lap 109. After yet another lengthy delay, Waltrip was
declared the winner and Sprague awarded a hard-fought 14th-place finish.
The effort earned Sprague highest finishing rookie
status among the five Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates in the race
and $180,251 in prize money.
"With these restrictor plate races, things just
cycle around," commented Sprague. "I was last three or four times, I was in
the Top-15 three or four times. It just so happened that when the rain
decided to sock us again, I was in 14th. I'm ticked to death with that."
Sprague and his NetZero Pontiac will next travel to
North Carolina Speedway for the running of the Subway 400, Sunday, February
23 at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The second NASCAR Winston Cup event of
the season will be telecast live on Fox and will be broadcast worldwide by
MRN Radio.
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