Jack Sprague made a five-spot jump in points to sixth place after Nashville. Credit: Autostock

Experience is important on Bristol's high banks

Veterans Sprague, Hornaday and Skinner all have wins at half mile

Jack Sprague has no problem volunteering for action at Tennessee tracks. After all, the high-banked half-mile track at Bristol Motor Speedway is much more kind to veteran drivers than those who have recently enlisted.

With a win at Memphis and a second at Nashville, Sprague now heads for Wednesday's Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly 200 at Bristol, a venue where he's posted six top-10 finishes in seven starts, including a victory in 1999.

Inside the Numbers Jack Sprague at Bristol Year Start Finish 1995 6 6 1996 4 5 1997 11 7 1998 2 2 1999 3 1 2004 18 28 2005 6 3 Ron Hornaday at Bristol Year Start Finish 1995 23 9 1996 10 8 1997 1 1 1998 1 1 1999 24 18 2005 17 14 Mike Skinner at Bristol Year Start Finish 1995 21 20 1996 1 4 2004 2 23 2005 2 1

"Maybe I should move there," Sprague said.

Sprague said there's no secret to running well at Bristol: stay out of trouble. However, because the action is non-stop, that's easier said than done.

"The key is to qualify well and to keep our nose clean, which isn't easy," Sprague said. "Bristol is a very mentally and physically demanding racetrack. Things happen so fast that you don't have the chance to see things unfolding in front of you."

Sprague, whose worst finish at Bristol was in 2003, when engine problems left him 28th, said the right combination of patience and aggressiveness will pay off.

"If you can keep your truck in good shape until the end of the race and if you can stay near the front, then you will have a chance to celebrate a win at the end of the night," he said.

If Ron Hornaday wins the pole for Wednesday's race, he's a good bet to finish in the same position. In 1997 and 1998, Hornaday went wire-to-wire for wins at Bristol. In fact, he led all 200 laps in 1997.

Hornaday said Bristol is a lot like the half-mile on which he grew up racing -- Mesa Marin -- and is also the same home track as his truck owner, Kevin Harvick.

"Kevin has been really good at Bristol," Hornaday said. "He and I both have raced a lot of laps at Bristol and before that at Mesa Marin Raceway out in Bakersfield. So I like the high-bank half-miles and I know Kevin does, as well."

O'REILLY 200 •   11 a.m. ET -- First Practice  •   12:30 p.m. ET -- Rookie Practice  •   1 p.m. ET -- Final Practice  •   5:30 p.m. ET -- Qualifying  •   8:30 p.m. ET -- Race Coverage (SPEED and XM)  •   8:45 p.m. ET -- Race Coverage (MRN)  •   O'Reilly 200: Entry List

Mike Skinner is the defending race winner and has started on the front row in all four of his Truck Series starts at Bristol.

"Driving at Bristol is like running around in a punch bowl. It is amazing," Skinner said. "It is probably the fastest racetrack we go to, per scale. The speeds we run at Bristol to the size of the track -- I do not know if there is any place that is any faster.

"It is exciting. It is really hard to work on the chassis, so you run very conventional setups there."

Skinner said winning there last year was a great confidence boost.

"Winning Bristol was awesome," Skinner said. "We've run well there, so we expected to have a competitive run. Bristol has been a great place for me, and hopefully, we can be competitive when we unload there."

A total of 38 entries will vie for positions in the 36-truck field.