The Sporting News has learned that rookie Winston Cup driver Jack Sprague has been released from his ride with Haas/CNC Racing, and he will be replaced by John Andretti, who himself was released by Petty Enterprises a month ago. Andretti, 40, will take over for Sprague this weekend at New Hampshire and also next weekend at Pocono. However, because of a prior commitment to race the #81 for Chance 2 Motorsports at the Brickyard 400, Andretti will not be in the #0 for that race. Haas/CNC has yet to name a fill-in driver for the Indy race. Haas/CNC Racing also has not named a replacement beyond the Brickyard 400. Andretti has won two Winston Cup races in his career, the last coming at the 1999 Martinsville spring race. Andretti has a history with #0 Crew Chief, Tony Furr, winning the Pepsi 400 at Daytona while with the #98 Cale Yarborough team. No word on Sprgaue’s plans.( Sporting News )(7-16-2003) UPDATEs and comments: Haas CNC Racing, which fields the #0 NetZero HiSpeed Pontiac in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and Jack Sprague announced a mutual decision to part ways effective immediately. “Gene Haas gave me a great opportunity to move into the Winston Cup Series this season,” said Sprague, who has driven the NetZero Pontiac since the start of the season. “Unfortunately, being a rookie team with a rookie owner, rookie crew chief and a rookie driver, and not having a great deal of Winston Cup knowledge, we started off behind the eight ball. Haas CNC Racing made changes along the way to try to make the team more competitive, but we never really got a handle on it. After eight years of winning races and championships, this year’s been very frustrating for me, and I’m sure it has been equally as frustrating for them. That said, we decided to part ways and try to find success apart.” The Haas CNC Racing team posted its best qualifying effort of the season when the NetZero Pontiac lined up in fifth place at Lowe’s (Concord, N.C.) Motor Speedway in May. The team’s highest finish of the season was a 14th-place effort in the season opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February. “The Haas CNC Racing team hasn’t achieved the goals we set for ourselves prior to the start of the season,” stated Joe Custer, General Manager. “Everyone involved with this organization has high expectations for success. Jack Sprague is a talented race car driver, but we thought it would be in everybody’s best interest to make a change at this stage of the game. We feel confident we can continue to build this race team into a winning organization. We appreciate all that Jack Sprague has done for the NetZero Racing Program,” commented Brian Woods, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for NetZero. During our three years together in this sport we have experienced the kind of success that most only dream about. We understand that it’s the team’s prerogative to do what it thinks will enhance the success of its organization. We wish Jack and his family success in all their future endeavors and look forward to future accomplishments with Haas CNC Racing.”( NetZeroRacing ) AND Haas CNC Racing announced that veteran John Andretti will take over driving duties for the upcoming Winston Cup events at New Hampshire International Speedway and Pocono Raceway. “We are thrilled that there was someone available to us of John Andretti’s caliber, with his vast amount of Winston Cup experience,” stated Joe Custer, Haas CNC Racing General Manager. “We’re excited that he has agreed to come on board for the next couple of races. Following the races at New Hampshire and Pocono, we’ll evaluate how things are going and move forward from there.” Andretti, who hails from Indianapolis, Indiana, has been racing full-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series since 1994. He has scored four pole positions and two Winston Cup victories during his career, the last of which came in Martinsville in 1999 with Petty Enterprises. He and Haas CNC Racing crew chief Tony Furr have a history together, winning the 1997 Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. “I feel really good about being reunited with Tony Furr,” said John Andretti. “The Haas CNC Racing team is an excellent organization. I look forward to being behind the wheel of the No. 0 NetZero HiSpeed Pontiac for the next couple of races.”( NetZeroRacing )(7-17-2003)
