Furr replaces Connor as crew chief at Haas CNC

HARRISBURG, N.C. -- Veteran mechanic Tony Furr will serve as crew chief for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year candidate Jack Sprague, beginning at this weekend's Virginia 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

	Tony Furr

Furr replaces Dennis Connor at Haas CNC Racing. Connor has worked with Sprague for the last eight seasons. Together they won three championships in the Craftsman Truck Series, in 1997, 1999 and 2001.

In 2002 Sprague and Connor moved to the Busch Series for Hendrick Motorsports, their Truck Series employer. Near the end of the 2002 season, team owner Gene Haas announced plans to field a Winston Cup team for Sprague that would be closely allied with Rick Hendrick's operation.

Despite their previous success, Sprague and Connor have struggled this season. Sprague's best finish in the No. 0 NetZero Pontiac is 14th, his only result better than 22nd. The team has been forced to use three provisional starting positions in the first eight races.

JACK SPRAGUE  •  Driver Page  •  2003 Stats  •  2003 Rookie Standings

Sprague has yet to lead a lap this season and is 38th in the standings.

Furr, who has two career victories as a crew chief, most recently worked in a management role with Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Prior to that he had worked at Hendrick Motorsports.