KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April
28, 2008) --- Jack Sprague
and the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI)
No. 2 American Commercial
Lines (ACL) Chevrolet
recorded their first
top-five finish of the 2008
season Saturday in the
O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at
Kansas Speedway. The
second-place finish behind
KHI teammate Ron Hornaday
moved the team from 15th to
ninth in the Truck Series
point standings.
“I wanted this one really
bad,” said Sprague following
the race. “But I’m not going
to complain about finishing
second. I used up all my
stuff trying to come back up
through the field. I gave
Hornaday all I had but I
just ran out of time.
I’m really proud of this
team,” continued Sprague. “I
know coming into this year
everyone saw us coming into
to a championship
organization, which it is
but my team is brand new. To
be able in just five races
to come together and run as
strong as we have says a lot
about KHI and this team. I’m
really proud of them and I
know we will get a win soon,
but man I wanted this one
really bad.”
Starting from the third
position, Sprague and
teammate Hornaday pulled
away from the rest of the
field. Under the first
caution of the day on lap
27, the team came to pit
road for four tires, fuel
and an air pressure
adjustment. The team had a
fast pit stop and beat
Hornaday off pit road. A few
truck elected to stay on
track, patiently working his
way through the slower
traffic, Sprague was finally
able to lead his first of
eight laps of the race
following the stop on lap
46.
On lap 65, when much of
the rest of the field came
to pit road, Sprague and the
KHI No.2 ACL team decided to
gamble on fuel strategy and
stay out, only to see the
caution wave seven laps
later. The team’s hand was
forced and they had to come
to pit road for four tires
and fuel relegating him to
the 25th position for the
restart.
Sprague exhibited great
patience, methodically
easing his way back toward
the front. By lap 91,
Sprague had moved up 10
positions. The team came to
pit road under caution on
lap 109 with the rest of the
field and was now back on
sequence with the leaders.
After the stop crew chief
Ernie Cope asked Sprague to
conserve fuel as the team
calculated that they would
be two laps short if the
race continued to the finish
under green-flag conditions.
With fresh tires, Sprague
began passing trucks on the
outside, moving up
aggressively through the
field. With eight laps to
go, the second-place truck
slammed the wall in front of
Sprague, leaving a showdown
between the two most
successful drivers in series
history to battle for the
win. However, Sprague and
Hornaday’s trucks were too
evenly matched. Despite a
number of maneuvers to
overtake his teammate,
Sprague was not able to pass
Hornaday and crossed the
finish line in the second
position. It was KHI’s first
one-two finish in the Truck
Series.
STATS RECAP
Race Info
April 26, 2008
Kansas Speedway
O’Reilly Auto Parts 250
Race: 5 of 25
Driver: Jack Sprague
Started: 3rd
Finished: 2nd
Truck Series Point
Standings: 9th
Next on the Schedule for
the No. 2:
Date: May 16, 2008
Track: Lowe’s Motor
Speedway
Event Name: NC Education
Lottery 200
Driver: Jack Sprague
Broadcast Time: The NC
Education Lottery 200 can be
seen live on SPEED at 8
p.m., EST.