Jack Sprague
Jack Sprague ( born August 8, 1964 in Spring Lake, Michigan) is an American race car driver who currently drives the Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the # 2 for Kevin Harvick Incorporated. He is a three-time champion and one of the most successful driver in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Career
Sprague began his career in stock cars on small ovals in his homeland. He won the Endurance Championship at the Thunderbird Raceway and Winston Raceway and then began to participate in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series to race in North Carolina. He was the Big Ten Championship at Concord Motorsports Park, winning 30 races and ultimately the championship.
1989-1994
Sprague announced on October 7, 1989 at the All Pro 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway his debut in the second highest division of NASCAR, the former Busch Series, which is known as the Nationwide Series today. He drove a Chevrolet with the start number 78, which was used by Griffin Racing, started at No. 28, however, was after he was forced to retire with engine failure, counted only 41. In the first race of the 1990 season he drove for Pucci & Associaties in the Busch Series, was only 40 and was then for around three months not in the series active until the team owner Frank Cicci gave him the opportunity, in a Buick with the number 34 to compete. Sprague took the car from Frank Cicci part in 19 races, of which he one finished in the top 10.
In the 1991 season, Sprague played only seven races, but he achieved a top 5 ranking and started again from the pole position in the Champ 300 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1992, he went still only a part-time driver, took part in a total of 16 races and achieved this twice the top 10. He finished the season in 24th place in the drivers' standings. For the 1993 season, Sprague signed a contract with BACE Motorsports, who gave him the opportunity to pilot the start number 74. This he did in 23 of the 29 races, but he scored four top- 10 finishes and finished 19th in the championship. In 1994, Sprague was no longer in the Busch Series active, instead he returned to Winston Racing Series, where he won 21 of 22 races in which he participated.
1995-2001
After the success in the Winston Racing Series Sprague launched in 1995 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series newly established. There he found a place in the racing team of Bruce Griffin, for which he was launched already in the Busch Series. He drove a Chevrolet with the start number 31, which he did regularly in the top -10 finish. Due to the good performance Sprague was after the Action Packed Racing Cards 150 at Indianapolis Raceway Park switch to Hendrick Motorsports, where he was to drive the Chevrolet with the start number 25. He finished the season in fifth place in the championship and was told this 15 top-10 and five top -5 finishes.
In the 1996 season he moved from the starting number 25 for sponsored by Quaker State and is also owned by Hendrick Motorsports starting number 24, with whom he won five races and run twice from the pole position. With a gap of only 53 points, he finished second in the championship behind Ron Hornaday Jr. The same year he made his Winston Cup debut in the Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the track, the on which he his first Craftsman Truck Series race won. He led two laps and was 23 the following week he took part in the same race number in the race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, retired, however, already in the early stages of the race after an accident. In the Craftsman Truck Series season 1997 Sprague won a race at Phoenix International Raceway, Nazareth Speedway and the Nashville Speedway and ultimately the championship respectively. Despite the success turned his sponsor, Quaker State, in the 1998 season, not back, so Sprague had to start without a main sponsor of the season. The season started with twelve consecutive top - 10 finishes. Big Daddy 's BBQ Sauce was seen for a race as a sponsor on the car, but it was only in the twelfth race of the season was found with GMAC a sponsor who remained permanently. Sprague won the first race with the new sponsor and was second in the driver standings.
In the 1999 season, Sprague won in 1997 as well as the championship. During the season he scored 19 top- 10 finishes, three times he won. At the end of the projection was on the second in the overall standings, Greg Biffle, only eight points. Also in the 2000 season Sprague won three races, but due to some accidents he reached in the championship only fifth. 2001 NetZero was the main sponsor of the truck with the number 24 and Sprague were going better again. He won four times, started seven times from pole position, came 17 times in the top -10 finish and won by a margin of 73 points the championship.
2002-2003
After a successful 2001 season changed Sprague and his teammate Ricky Hendrick, the son of his team owner Rick Hendrick, in the Busch Series. Despite the series change Sprague drove continue a sponsored NetZero car with starting number 24 in Inside Traxx 300 on the Nashville Superspeedway, he won for the first time in his Busch Series career. For a long time Sprague led in the championship, but by some weaker race in the final stages of the season he fell in the overall standings to fifth place. He also drove in the same year IROC race, which he finished all in the top 10, and three races for Haas CNC Racing in Winston Cup, where in the 2003 season should deny all race for the same team, while in he bush Series no longer took. His goal was getting the NASCAR Rookie of the Year Awards for Best Newcomer of the Winston Cup. However, his best result was a 14th place in the Daytona 500 Because of the benefits are not relevant to the wishes he was released after the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. At the end of the year he drove two Craftsman Truck Series races, both of which he finished in fifth place.
Since 2004
After the ill- treatment end up trying to establish itself in the Winston Cup, Sprague returned in 2004 in the Craftsman Truck Series back. He took the wheel of the # 16 car, but could not quite match previous successes there. But he was nevertheless quite successful by six times started from pole position and the UAW -GM Ohio won 250. In the overall standings, it was enough to finish the season in seventh place. In the 2005 season, he won a race at the Texas Motor Speedway, but despite the acceptable services he was in the last third of the season replaced by Mike Bliss. Sprague was then in the team of Jeff Wyler a place for which he drove a Toyota with the start number 60. Despite the change team he finished eighth in the championship.
In the 2006 season he drove all the races for the team of Jeff Wyler, but he scored eleven top- 10 finishes and two wins, twice he started from the pole position. In the championship, he finished ninth. Like last year, denied Sprague also all races of the 2007 season in the # 60 Toyota of Wyler Racing. The season started well with a win in the Chevy Silverado HD 250 at Daytona International Speedway, but the further course of the season was not according to the wishes. Meanwhile, Sprague was even outside the top 10 in the driver standings. In the end he finished ninth in the standings, but he was ten times in the top -10 finish. The poor performance and the loss of the main sponsor meant that Sprague joined Kevin Harvick Incorporated for the 2008 season, where he became the new team-mate of the current Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday - junior. The season was so far not much better than the previous year. Six times Sprague was in the previous races his truck, a Chevrolet Silverado with the # 2, bring in the top -10 finish.
After the 2008 season was no extension of his contract. Sprague denied since no other race in the Camping World Truck Series.