Jack Sprague and Chevy Trucks Team Set to Defend Last Year’s Win on Shortest Track on NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Circuit

Mansfield, OH – Early in his career, Jack Sprague was known for his skill on big tracks. Several nicknames such as “Big Track Jack” were attached to the three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion by media and fellow competitors alike. But the labels are misleading. Out of his 24 NCTS victories, 11 have come on short tracks including his 2004 win at the inaugural race at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway.

“At Mansfield last year we were able to put it all together and get it done,” Spring Lake, MI native Sprague said. “At all the short tracks our Chevy Trucks Silverado team has been a factor for the win. We have started out this year the same way, we are as strong or stronger than we were last year and I think we have a good shot at repeating our win.”

Added to the excitement of returning to the half-mile track as the defending race winner is the Speedway is only 60 miles from Chevy Trucks Silverado crew chief Chris Showalter’s family home in Amherst, Ohio.

“It was great to win at Mansfield, Showalter said. “There were probably 300 people there that I knew last year and it sounds like there might be even more this year. We are taking the exact same truck we won with last year so it should be exciting and pretty cool.”

Dennis Setzer, driver of the No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado team, has been dubbed the NCTS Short Track King. Of his 12 wins in NCTS competition, seven have come on the short tracks. But Setzer, who finished second to Sprague in 2004, has scored his last two wins on superspeedways and would like to reverse the order this year.

“Our Chevrolet Silverado teammate Jack Sprague won the race there last year and we finished second.” Setzer said. “I feel like we have the Right Truck under us when we go back this year to put our No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado in victory lane. I really like Mansfield, it is a great track. It is very technical track for a short track; very much a driver’s track. I feel like we are ready for a good run.”

David Starr and the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Silverado had a solid run at Mansfield coming home ninth in the 2004 event. The Houston, Texas native was in contention all afternoon but the green/white/checkered finish for which the NCTS is famous sent him up of the track out of the racing groove and he had to settle for a top-10 finish. Starr currently sits 13th in NCTS point standings heading into the sixth race of the season.

For Ron Hornaday, racing at Mansfield will be a new experience. The two-time NCTS champion has not tested nor raced on the track. But racing and winning on short-tracks isn’t a problem for the Palmdale, CA native. Hornaday is the leading NCTS race winner with 27 trips to victory lane on his resume. 15 of those wins and seven of his 11 pole positions came on the various short-tracks on the circuit.

OF NOTE: Two NCTS veterans with a total of four wins between them, Rich Bickle and Butch Miller will attempt to qualify for the UAW/GM Ohio 250 at Mansfield. Both veterans will be driving Silverados from the Green Light Racing stables. Bickle will be in the No. 08 Hidden Heros Silverado and Miller will be driving the No. 07.

The UAW/GM Ohio 250 practice will begin on Saturday, May 14 with one session from11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and the final session set for 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Qualifying is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying. The race will take the green flag at 2:15 PM EDT on Sunday, May 15. The 250-lap/125- mile race will have live flag-to-flag television coverage provided by SPEED. The race can also be heard on MRN Radio as well as XM Satellite Radio.