Jack Sprague’s Successful Run with Wyler Racing Ends with Top-Twenty in South Florida

Homestead, Fla. (November 19, 2007) – It was a bitter sweet end to the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season for Jack Sprague and the Wyler Racing team.  The season finale on Friday night at the 1.5-mile oval of Homestead-Miami Speedway marked the end to a successful era for both Sprague and the Wyler Racing team who have enjoyed 55 races together since October of 2005, including three wins, 18 top-five and 27 top-ten finishes.  But all great things must come to an end and that was the case at the drop of the checkered flag after Sprague crossed the finish line 16th and closed out his time driving the No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota for Wyler Racing.

Sprague, who has sat on the pole four times while driving for Con-way Freight, was quick in both practice sessions leading up to qualifying on Friday for the Ford 200.  But an early draw in qualifying coupled with a loose truck resulted in a 19th place starting position for Sprague in his final race for the Wyler’s after running a lap of 31.805 seconds at a speed of 169.785 miles per hour.

When the green flag dropped for the start of the Ford 200, Sprague worked the high line to pick off his competition and move into 15th position before the event’s first caution fell on lap 16 for a wreck in turn two.  Sprague was “free in all of a sudden” on lap 24 but continued to work his way past slower trucks and into 12th position on lap 39 before keying the radio to tell the crew that his Con-way Freight Toyota was “not loose in anymore, but it’s a little tight in the middle”.  Despite having a truck that was tough to turn, Sprague’s lap times were the fastest on the track.

Green flag pit stops started on lap 55 and Sprague was in seventh position before giving up the track position to hit pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment on lap 57.  The crew ripped off a fast stop, returning Sprague to the track in 29th.  Over the next 18 laps, other trucks made their stops and Sprague was 17th before an inopportune caution fell on lap 75 for debris, trapping everyone who stopped under green flag conditions one lap down. 

Sprague hit pit road for his final stop of the night, under the caution, on lap 77.  The crew gave Sprague four fresh tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments, returning the Con-way Freight Toyota to the track in 20th position.  The race restarted on lap 80 and just two laps later another caution flag flew when the No. 27 spun across Sprague’s nose.  Sprague avoided the spinning truck and was around for the next restart on lap 86.

“It takes us awhile to get going,” said Sprague on lap 85 as he battled side-by-side just outside of the top-twenty.  Sprague worked his way into 19th position on lap 99 but was “getting tight” in the closing laps.  Sprague made two clean passes and moved into 17th just before the final caution was displayed on lap 134 setting up a green/white/checkered flag finish.  “We’ve got a better truck than where we are going to finish,” said Sprague just before he crossed the finish line in 16th position.

By virtue of his 15th top-20 finish of the year, Sprague held on to finish ninth in the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Point Standings.  Sprague’s top-ten finish in the standings marks the second consecutive top-ten finish in the standings for the Wyler Racing team since they began racing full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2006. 

Sprague will join Kevin Harvick Inc. to race the No. 2 truck in 2008 and the Wyler Racing team will merge with South Point Racing to form Wyler-Gaughan Racing which will field two full-time entries in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year as well as a part-time entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  Driver and sponsorship opportunities still exist with WGR.  Those interested in sponsorship opportunities with the WGR team should contact Brent Bushu of Integrity Sports Marketing, LLC at (704) 947-2300.