BUSCH: Richmond II: Jack Sprague preview

Sprague, NetZero Chevy banking on short-track experience at Richmond.

RICHMOND, VA (August 31, 2002) - Jack Sprague and his NetZero Chevrolet team would like nothing more than to take advantage of their past experience and success at Richmond International Raceway in Friday's FUNAI 250 NASCAR Busch Series event.

"The only thing I love better than racing at Richmond is winning at Richmond," said Sprague. "I love racing here and it's definitely one of my favorite tracks. It's a great facility with a smooth track. It's perfect for side-by-side racing. This team's had great victories and some really good runs here. We'd like to have a better run than our disappointing one here back in May. It's not a matter of knowing how to get around the track because I definitely know how to do that. It's really more about hitting the setup from the get go. Then you should be in good shape for the whole race."

Sprague got out of shape in his last Richmond appearance when an early crash eliminated the NetZero pilot from winning contention.

"We showed up at Richmond back in the spring with high expectations," said Sprague, who started the May NBS event at RIR from the pole position after rain washed out qualifying. "We felt good about getting a good finish, but got caught up in a wreck on Lap 12. It hurt us for the rest of the night, but I know we can make up for that this weekend and am looking forward to getting a second chance a decent run."

Sprague, a Spring Lake, MI native, has 11 previous Richmond starts entering this weekend's 250 Lap event. Seven of those starts came in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and produced a pair of wins - the 1998 Virginia Is For Lovers 200 and the 2001 Kroger 200. The second win is remembered for Sprague's massive victory lap burnout's that concluded with the back tires of his NetZero Chevy bursting into flames at the start/finish line.

"Winning my last Truck race at Richmond was definitely cool, especially doing a burnout like that," said Sprague. "The crowd was loving it, but I'd like another chance at it. A burnout in the Busch car would help this team for sure."

The FUNAI 250 will take the green flag Saturday, September 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The event will be the 26th of 34 NASCAR Busch Series races this season and will be telecast live on TNT. PRN Radio will also broadcast the race live on more than 300 affiliated stations worldwide.

ABOUT NETZERO:

NetZero is a United Online Company. United Online is a leading Internet service provider that commenced operations in September 2001 as the result of its acquisition of NetZero and Juno Online Services -- two of the most recognized Internet access brands in the United States and Canada. Through its subsidiaries, United Online offers both free and value-priced Internet access services in more than 5,000 cities. The company is headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., with offices in New York City and Hyderabad, India. United Online's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the ticker symbol "UNTD."

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