Sprague Depends on Brother for More
than Just Moral Support
CONCORD, NC (March 18, 2003) - Racing families are
nothing new to NASCAR with names like Burton, Labonte, Earnhardt, Wallace
and these days, even the Parrott brothers, known by fans far and wide. The
NetZero Racing team, new to Winston Cup this season after several years in
the Busch and Truck Series, has its own sibling combo with Jack Sprague,
driver of the No. 0 NetZero Pontiac Grand Prix, and his brother, spotter
Jason Pasch, carrying their family colors into battle.
Sprague, a long-time NASCAR veteran, but a Winston
Cup rookie this season, depends on Pasch both on and off the track. Pasch is
an expert fabricator Haas CNC Racing in Harrisburg, NC during the week
before keeping a sharp lookout from the spotter's stand on race weekends.
Pasch, who bears an unmistakable resemblance to Sprague, has a tough job -
to remain focused on the race at hand - while at the same time looking out
for the safety and best interest of his brother and the No. 0 NetZero
Pontiac Grand Prix.
Sprague, who many years ago took his stepfather's
last name, is seven years older that Pasch and the two brothers are as close
as can be. When Sprague packed up his belongings and headed to North
Carolina after several successful years running street stocks in Michigan,
Pasch followed in 1990 after graduation from high school. He has been
Sprague's full-time spotter since 1994, guiding his brother to three NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series titles and a win and a fifth-place finish in the 2002
NASCAR Busch Series final standings.
"Like most spotters, I can tell how the car is
handling every lap," says Pasch. "I can see where the NetZero Pontiac is
good, and where we are getting beat. Spotting is not just about looking in
front of the car for problems. It's also about knowing what your driver
needs out there on the racetrack and effective communication, and in that
respect maybe I have a little bit of an advantage over most."
While Sprague and Pasch are as tight as brothers can
be, there's also room for 'discussion' when something doesn't go right on
the racetrack.
"It doesn't happen very often, but things can get
pretty heated out there sometimes," says Sprague. "No matter what might be
said or done, he's always going to be my brother. We have to get over any
hard feelings pretty quick. We don't just see each other on Sunday, you
know?"
"It's a little more comforting for me to know Jason
is up there," commented Sprague's wife, Rhonda. "I know he wants Jack to be
as successful as possible each week and at the same time I also know he
would never put his safety in jeopardy. They trust each other completely,
and conviction like that is hard to find."
This weekend, the pair will head to Bristol, TN for
the first Winston Cup short-track race of the season. Nowhere on the
schedule, except maybe on the restrictor plate racetracks of Talladega and
Daytona, does the interaction between a driver and spotter face a stiffer
test .. "I've been to Bristol and raced all day and had the car come out of
there without a scratch,' said Sprague. "But, I've also been through races
where the car looks like it just spent a couple of hours inside a pinball
machine. There's rarely a time at Bristol when you don't have a car inside
or outside of you. It's nerve-racking, really, and you have to depend on
your spotter more than ever. I know that Jason is looking ahead of the
NetZero Pontiac and behind and around it too. Things happen pretty quick at
Bristol and its good to know its Jason up there helping me out."
Sprague, Pasch and the No. 0 NetZero Pontiac will
take the green flag in the Food City 500 at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
Sunday, March 23. The event will be telecast live by FOX and broadcast as it
happens on PRN Radio.
ABOUT NETZERO.
