JACK SPRAGUE ON THE FOOD CITY 500 …
“I’m looking forward to some good, short-track racing this weekend in Bristol. We’ve raced on the big tracks and the fast tracks so far, so getting to Bristol will be a nice change. The last two weeks have been pretty rough on the NetZero Racing team and we need to get things turned around. We’ve had some problems lately that were out of our control, and hopefully this week we can get in a good qualifying lap and try not to get banged up too much during the race.
“Bristol is the kind of place where you need to be on your toes and ready for anything. It’s a funny place - sometimes you can get through with barely a scratch on the car and sometimes you look like you’ve been caught in a pinball machine for three hours and you come home with a great finish. It’s also a place that can be forgiving. You can beat and bang a little without having to worry so much about keeping the fenders on the thing. You can also make up laps easier there than almost anywhere else. The day isn’t over if you get a lap down early. We won there last time we ran in the Truck Series, so I certainly look forward to racing at Bristol.”
SPRAGUE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS SPOTTER AT BRISTOL …
“There’s rarely a time at Bristol when you don’t have someone on the inside or outside of you. It’s nerve-racking, really, and you have to depend on your spotter more than ever. I know that not only is my spotter, my brother Jason, looking ahead of the NetZero Pontiac on the track, but behind and around it too. Things happen pretty quick at Bristol and its important to know I’ve got someone I can depend on up there.”
BRISTOL FAST FACTS
· The 2003 Food City 500 will be Jack Sprague’s second NASCAR Winston Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
· Sprague made his initial Bristol appearance in the 1990 Johnson 250 Busch Series event starting 22nd and finishing 22nd.
· Sprague’s most recent Bristol appearance came in the fall 2002 Busch Series race. He started 34th and finished 28th.
· Sprague has earned one victory at BMS in the 1999 Truck Series event.
· Sprague is currently 39th in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.
· Sprague is a three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion (1997, 1999, 2001).
· Sprague is a 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate and currently holds down fourth place in the overall standings, one point out of third.
