Jack Sprague's best finish at Michigan came in his first race there in 1999 when he placed fourth. Credit: Autostock

Native Sprague eager for first victory at Michigan

Jack Sprague's 25 Craftsman Truck Series victories have come at 16 different tracks. However, the native Michigander is winless in four trips to Michigan International Speedway, site of Saturday's Con-way Freight 200, and in his mind, that's just plain weird.

Jack Sprague Career Truck wins (25) Track No. Bristol 1 Evergreen 2 Fontana 2 Texas 2 Gateway 1 Odessa 1 IRP 2 Las Vegas 2 Loudon 1 Mansfield 1 Memphis 1 Milwaukee 1 Nashville 1 Nazareth 2 Phoenix 3 Richmond 2

"I'm a little nervous because for some reason I've never had a really good run at Michigan," Sprague said. "It is my home state. It's Con-way's home state.

"I've got a weird, funny feeling that we're going to run really well here this weekend."

It's not as if Sprague doesn't do well on tracks like Michigan. He's won twice at California, a surface almost identical to the one he'll be racing on Saturday.

Last year, he started 30th and was up to 10th by the end of the race. Still, Sprague says there's something about Michigan that he has yet to figure out.

"It's a weird place," he said. "I'm not even sure I know exactly where to drive on it, it's so wide and has so many grooves.

"I think it is probably the same as anywhere else. You've got to have a lot of motor and you've got to have a great body, and I think we have both."

	Johnny Benson finished fourth at MIS in 2004. Credit: Autostock
	Michigan Results for Jack Sprague, Johnny Benson and Dennis Setzer Driver No. W T-5 T-10 J. Sprague 4 0 1 2 J. Benson 2 0 1 1 D. Setzer 6 1 2 5 Free VideoA day's worth of news in 90 seconds

If there's a major difference between this trip to Michigan and previous visits, it could be the truck. After driving a Chevrolet for most of the first 10 seasons, Sprague moved to Toyota near the end of last year, so he'll be in a Tundra for the first time at Michigan.

"We're taking a brand new truck there, and obviously I always have really good motors with the Toyota motors," Sprague said. "Like I said, I've got a weird feeling that we're going to run really good here. If we come out of here with a top-five finish, I would be ecstatic. A win would be awesome."

Sprague's last victory came at Texas last season, but he's been knocking on the door. He bounced back from a 34th-place finish at Charlotte with a runner-up run at Mansfield -- and hasn't been worse than 11th since.

"Every week, we're getting better and better and more consistent," Sprague said. "The bads aren't as bad as they were at the beginning of the year. We're narrowing down the good and the bad area, and that's what we need to do."

A good finish would help Sprague's championship chances, as well. He's currently fifth in the standings, 287 points behind leader Todd Bodine, but only 55 behind fellow Michigan native Johnny Benson.

CON-WAY FREIGHT 200 FRIDAY -- All times ET  •   Practice 1 -- 10:15 a.m.  •   Rookie Practice -- 1:10 p.m.  •   Final Practice -- 1:50 p.m.  SATURDAY  •   Qualifying -- 11:40 a.m.  •   Radio Coverage -- 2:30 p.m. (XM and MRN)  •   TV Coverage -- 3 p.m. (SPEED)

Benson also is searching for his first Michigan victory, having run fourth there two years ago.

"I am excited about Michigan," Benson said. "It is my home track on the NASCAR side, and it is a great place to race.

"Sometimes it gets a little boring for the fans because there are long green-flag runs, but it is a track you can run three-wide on. You can run the bottom, middle or top and have options, which racecar drivers really like. It is fun because the draft comes into effect, which makes the speeds fast."

Dennis Setzer isn't from Michigan, but he certainly drives the place like he's been there all his life. In addition to his win last season, Setzer has five top-10s in six Michigan starts.