Continuing Bad Luck Leads to Disappointing Weekend for Spraker Racing

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 29, 2010) - Spraker Racing went into the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) eager to get on the track with their rookie, veteran line-up. Coming off a weekend of bad luck for both teams at Martinsville Speedway, the team was excited to get on the track and get rid of the bad luck they have found this season. NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie Andrew Smith piloted the No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises - Smith Associates Chevrolet in the New England 125 to a 22nd-place finish after a late-race incident. New England native Steve Park made his 46th start at his home track, driving the No. 8 National Parts Peddler Chevrolet to a 25th-place finish after a part failure.

Rookie Smith took his first laps on a one-mile speedway in Thursday's practice session at NHMS. The Pooler, Ga., native proved to be a quick learner, as he posted the seventh-fastest lap time of 30.988 seconds (122.912 mph). The No. 8 National Parts Peddler Chevrolet was set up for a weekend of research and development, utilizing Park's experience at the N.H. track and in NASCAR competition. Unfortunately, the car was not fast off the truck, posting a 27th-fastest practice time of 31.803 seconds (119.762 mph).

The Spraker Racing team had approximately two hours to make adjustments prior to qualifying. Unfortunately, both cars did not have the anticipated qualifying results, as Smith qualified 27th with a time of 31.392 seconds (121.330 mph) and Park qualified 29th with a time of 31.603 seconds (120.520 mph).

Although the drivers did not qualify where they had expected, both teams were excited to get the New England 125 started on Friday. Smith worked his No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises - Smith Associates Chevrolet up six spots to the 21st position before the first caution flew on lap nine. Park's night did not start off well as he lost some spots in the first segment. The No. 8 National Parts Peddler team utilized the lap nine caution to bring the Chevrolet down pit road and make some more adjustments.

As the field went back to green on lap 12, both cars worked their way through the field. The green flag run was short, as another caution flew just six laps later. Smith had moved up four more spots into the 17th position, and Park steered his way past five cars, occupying the 24th position. The rookie and veteran restarted 13th and 22nd, respectively. Throughout the next green-flag run, Smith kept his Spraker Racing Chevrolet in the top-15, racing into the 13th-position, as Park fought to keep his National Parts Peddler Chevrolet in the top-20.

A third caution flew on lap 84, allowing both teams to pit under yellow on lap 86. Continuing to work on the cars, the Spraker Racing team leaned on their veteran crew chiefs, David Ifft and Tim Weiss, to make the right adjustments. Smith restarted in the 16th position and quickly worked his way back into the top-15. Park restarted in the top-20. The Spraker Racing teammates worked to pass cars throughout the next two green flag runs.

On lap 101, however, the No. 8 National Parts Peddler Chevrolet ran out of gas, which lead Park to drive to the garage. The crew noticed that the fuel pickup was not pulling all of the fuel it should.

The Spraker Racing team worked diligently in the garage to get Park back on the track to log the last few laps of the race. The No. 8 National Parts Peddler Chevrolet returned to the track, but the team settled for the 25th-place finish. As part of their continuing efforts to build better cars, the Spraker Racing team will take the fuel system back to the their Mooresville, N.C., shop and work on a new approach.

Smith continued on, racing in the top-15 until the sixth caution flew. The team elected to bring the No. 37 Chevrolet down pit road for final adjustments. The Pooler, Ga., native restarted in the 22nd position. Unfortunately, his luck turned quickly. A tire went down on lap 122, causing the Spraker Racing Enterprises - Smith Associates Chevrolet to turn a hard right into the wall. Despite major damage, the team worked quickly to get the rookie back on track and salvage some more points. Two short laps later, Smith was back on the track for the final lap, relegating him to a 22nd-place finish.

Rookie Smith reflected on his first experience at a mile race track, "We were pretty good in practice. We tried to make some changes for qualifying that didn't work out for us. We went back to what we had in practice. We thought we had a good car. It was not one of our better weekends."

"I think we learned a lot. We just had some small issues," Smith explained. "Luck is certainly not on our side right now. I think going back we will be a lot better."

Park commented on the weekend, "We had a motor issue early, so unfortunately we were focused on deciding whether we needed to replace it instead of working on the chassis." He continued, "Due to the impound rule, we took an ill-handling car and got up near the top-15. Unfortunately, we lost four or five laps when we ran out of gas. Overall, it wasn't a great day for Spraker race cars, but at least we came out of there learning how we can improve when we do go back."

Spraker Racing will return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Friday, September 17 for the New Hampshire 125. The K&N Pro Series East will next make their way to Lime Rock Park for the K&N 100, with practices and qualifying on Friday, July 2, and the race on Saturday, July 3.