Sprague Makes a Valiant Comeback to Finish Sixth in Memphis
MILLINGTON,
Tenn. (June 30, 2008) --- Jack Sprague and the No. 2 American
Commercial Lines (ACL) Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet team
started the O’Reilly 200 Saturday evening from the fifth
position. Early trouble on pit road resulted in Sprague making a
come-from-behind charge from 28th place to finish in the sixth
position.
“It is just
really hard to have to go to the back and drive to the front,”
Sprague said. “We had a really good American Commercial Lines
Chevrolet today. We struggled a little bit on pit road, but all
in all we ended up with a good day. I think we even gained a few
points with Johnny [Benson] having motor problems.”
Starting fifth,
Sprague quickly moved into the top three by lap four. Caution on
lap 52 brought the No. 2 ACL Chevrolet to pit road for the first
pit stop of the evening. However, the team was forced back to
pit road on lap 54 for a lug nut that was knocked off the
left-front tire. The return trip mired Sprague deep in the field
as he returned to competition in the 28th position.
By lap 112
Sprague had battled his way past 18 trucks into 10th place.
Caution on lap 120 brought the No. 2 ACL truck back to pit road
for the second and final pit stop of the night. Sprague came in
for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. However,
Sprague stopped too short in his pit box and was forced to roll
up during the stop; a lug nut was knocked off the left-rear tire
costing the team valuable seconds. Sprague would lose four
spots in the pits returning to the track in the 14th position.
By Lap 160
Sprague was turning the fastest laps on the track and made his
way back to the ninth position. Two late cautions bunched the
field and Sprague was able to pass three more trucks to
ultimately finish the O’Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park
in the sixth position. This marks Sprague’s sixth top-10 finish
of 2008, and he gains one position in the point standings moving
into the eighth position, 164 points out of first.
POST-RACE LINKS:
•
Results |
Points
•
No. 2 O'Reilly 200 Photos
•
Pre-Race Report |