Jack Sprague, driver of the #16 IWX Chevy Trucks Silverado, started his second straight race from the pole for the running of the UAW/GM 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. The all Chevy front row included his Silverado mate, Dennis Setzer, driver of the #46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado. Qualifying was rained out on Saturday, so the field was set by 2003 owner points.

Jack Sprague went on to win the race that was ultimately dominated by both he and Setzer. Jack passed Setzer for the win with less than 50 laps to go and went on to win the race by a slim 0.365 seconds over Dennis Setzer.

Sprague, who led the most laps with 139 of 252, moved from 12th to 7th in the overall point standings. "We just kept digging and saved our stuff and it worked out,” said Sprague. "We were good in testing on Friday but with the weather difference we made a bunch of changes but we went the right way. I was a little tight at the beginning but not bad. We ran about 170 laps on that second set of tires because we didn't want to pit again and give up track position. Hamilton (Bobby) was good for quite a while there. I thought he and Dennis (Setzer) were the two who had something for us today. When we got back to the front and the truck was handling really well even as the tires were getting more and more laps on them, we decided it wasn't worth giving up the lead because we weren't all on the same pit sequence. It was the right decision to make.”

“It was like a rocket when it came off the corners it hit so hard. It was one of those situations that it was not bad to be tight off the center. The #16 Chevy Trucks Silverado was just perfect today. We had the power under the hood and are pleased about our finish.”

“I spent a lot of time with these guys before I made the decision to come to this team. I was a little rocky in Atlanta but these guys have worked so hard. I complained about not having enough horse power and they found me more. I pulled less gear then anyone else out there today, I guarantee it.”

“I had perfect pit stops today and it all just came together. I had a blast here, these short tracks are great. I was even passing some of these trucks on the bottom. This is what makes the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series so much fun, we were doing some beating and banging out there and everyone was having a ball. I don't think there was anyone who had a straight truck when it was over and the fans got a great race. I’m looking forward to coming back here next year.

"I can't say enough about all GM Racing and Chevrolet have done for us this season. I am glad to be able to give them their first win in 2004.”

Sprague’s victory was his 24th win in the NCTS. He now needs two races to tie and three races to lead former champion Ron Hornaday for the most wins in the series.

This was Setzer’s second straight runner-up finish, which has bolted him to the overall championship points lead in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Chevy. Setzer, a 7-year veteran of the series has never held the point lead before today. Jack’s win also moved Chevrolet from fourth to second in the Manufacturer’s standings.

"This was a good day for Chevrolet,” said Setzer. “I am happy that Jack was able to get the first win for them and that our team has now taken the points lead. The information sharing program that we have now in the Chevy camp is really starting to pay off. Our truck wasn’t perfect, but we were able to stay out front most of the day and we had a shot to win. That is all you can ask for in this very competitive series,” Setzer also commented.

The race set a record for the slowest pace with an average speed of 54.706 mph due to 13 cautions. The thirteen cautions led to another record of 94 laps of caution.

The next event on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series calendar is the Infineon 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Practice and qualifying will begin on Thursday, May 19th. The race will be run on Friday night, May 21st. The race will be televised live on SPEED at 8:30 EDT.

RACE SUMMARY
Track: Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, .410-mile oval
Winner: Jack Sprague, IWX Racing, CHEVROLET
Victory: 0.394 seconds Average Speed: 57.706 mph
Pole: Jack Sprague/CHEVY TRUCKS SILVERADO(set by points due to rainout)

RESULTS
Pos./Driver/Make/Laps
1. Jack Sprague/CHEVROLET, 252
2. Dennis Setzer/CHEVROLET, 252
3. Terry Cook/FORD, 252
4. Bobby Hamilton/DODGE, 252
5. Tracy Hines/CHEVROLET, 252

Other Chevrolet results:

9. David Starr/CHEVROLET, 252
10. Matt Crafton/CHEVROLET, 252
12. Shane Sieg/CHEVROLET, 252
20. Kelly Sutton/CHEVROLET, 252
21. Charlie Bradberry/CHEVROLET, 250
22. Geoffrey Bodine/CHEVROLET, 246
25. Teri MacDonald/CHEVROLET, 246
33. Ken Weaver/CHEVROLET, 141 (Accident)
34. Tina Gordon/CHEVROLET, 67 (Accident)
35. Shane Hmeil/CHEVROLET, 28 (Radiator)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (Unofficial after 4 of 25 events) Driver/Make/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. Dennis Setzer/CHEVROLET, 630 (0)
2. Carl Edwards/FORD, 598 (1)
3. David Reutimann/TOYOTA, 576 (0)
4. Bobby Hamilton/DODGE, 560 (1)
5. Mike Skinner/TOYOTA, 554 (0)

Manufacturer/Points (victories in parentheses)
1. FORD, 27 (2)
2. CHEVROLET, 23 (1)
3. DODGE, 19 (1)
4. TOYOTA, 19 (0)

NEXT EVENT
May 21, 2004, Infineon 200 – Lowe’s Motor Speedway
TV: SPEED, 8:30 PM EDT

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters is at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's consumer website at www.gm.com.

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