Trucks kick off Glen's 50th year

J ack began NASCAR in Sprague 1995. Craftsman has been Truck a force Series in since the it The current truck series points leader's list of accomplishments are numerous, including nine career wins. But the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion has yet to taste victory on a road course. Sprague hopes to be the one uncorking the Bully Hill champagne in victory circle when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series christens the 50th anniversary season of racing at Watkins Glen International with the Parts America 150 Saturday. The event, traditionally run just two weeks after the Bud at the Glen Winston Cup race in August, was moved to its new date this year to strengthen the event's appeal and fine tune the Glen schedule. The 62-lap race on the Glen's 2.45-mile 11-turn NASCAR course takes the green flag at noon. It will be televised live on ESPN. Practice and qualifying takes place Friday. The Glen is the first of three road course 1998 Parts America 150 When: noon, Saturday. Distance: 62 laps/151.9 miles. Posted awards: $353,905. Field: 34 trucks possible with provisionals. Fastest 29 trucks through time trials. By RON LEVANDUSKI Star-Gazette venues for the 27-race Craftsman Truck Series, which features full-size American-manufactured pickup trucks with chassis virtually identical to a Winston Cup car. Sprague, who drives the No. 24 Rick Hendrick- owned Chevrolet, has a 23-point lead over rival and 1996 truck series champion Ron Hornaday, 995-972. Stacy Compton is third with 858 points. The competition in the Craftsman Truck Series, now in its fourth year, has been outstanding this year. Coming into the Glen, there have been five different winners in the first six races and a different pole winner at each venue. The eight previous road course truck series races have been won by five different drivers. If Sprague is victorious at The Glen, he would be the series sixth different winner. "I could road race every weekend," Sprague said. "I liked doing it the first time I tried it, but now I've gotten to the point where I really enjoy it." Even though he is without a road course victory, Sprague knows how to tackle the variety of right and left turns of a road race track and can be counted on to run among the race leaders. In '97, Sprague scored top-five finishes in each of the three road course events. He qualified third at the Parts America 150 in 1997, the fastest of the truck series regulars. He led most of last year's race, only to finish third after being passed by eventual winner Ron Fellows with six laps to go. In his only other Glen appearance, Sprague was fourth in the 1996 race. "Watkins Glen is my favorite road course," Sprague said. "It's a beautiful area, and it's an outstanding track with a great atmosphere. We led last year's race, but didn't win it. Hopefully, this year's race at the Glen will be my first road course victory." Continued on Page 4