| | Results
FONTANA, Calif. -- Jack Sprague passed two cars for the lead with one lap remaining and won Saturday's NAPA Auto Parts 200, a victory that carried him to his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in three years.
Sprague came into the race at California Speedway trailing Greg
Biffle by 21 points and just four ahead of Dennis Setzer, whose
Dodge was knocked out of the 100-lap race in an early wreck.
|  | | Jack Sprague does a few doughnuts to celebrate his title-clinching victory Saturday in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 in California. |
Throughout most of the event, Biffle's Ford was running just
high enough to grab his first series title. But, moments before
Sprague's Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet jumped from third to first
on a restart on lap 99, Biffle got behind a lapped truck and lost
positions to Jimmy Hensley and Bobby Hamilton, slipping to ninth.
Debris on the two-mile oval brought out the last of three
caution flags on lap 93. After the green flag waved again for the
restart on lap 99, Sprague, working with fellow Chevrolet driver
Ron Hornaday, went after leader Mike Bliss.
But, when Hornaday and Bliss began to race each other, Sprague
drove by both, nearly racing on the track apron.
"I felt bad for Ron because he helped me all day, but I saw a
chance to win the race and I had to take it," Sprague said.
Meanwhile, Biffle regained two positions. But he could get no
closer than seventh and lost the championship by eight points -- two
positions.
"We had a pretty loose truck. I just didn't want to wreck
anybody," Biffle said. "I'm not sure what happened up there, but
the No. 24 (Sprague) got the lead and that put too many spots
between us."
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Top 10 Truckers
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Jack Sprague
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3,747
|
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Greg Biffle
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3,739
|
|
Dennis Setzer
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3,639
|
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Stacy Compton
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3,623
|
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Jay Sauter
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3,543
|
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Mike Wallace
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3,494
|
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Ron Hornaday
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3,488
|
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Andy Houston
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3,359
|
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Mike Bliss
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3,294
|
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Jimmy Hensley
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3,280
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The close championship battle was second only to last year's
three-point victory by Hornaday over Sprague, who also won this
race.
"We had a tough year," said Sprague, the 1997 series champion.
"The breaks have gone against us all year long, but my guys dug
and dug and dug. We came in here trying to protect second, but
anybody who knows me knows I never give up."
Sprague, who finished second in the series in 1996 and 1998, won
for only the third time this season and the first time since June 5
in Bristol, Tenn.
"It's really disappointing, but it's obvious that's what NASCAR
wanted," said Biffle, still smarting from a damaging penalty
handed down by NASCAR last month in Las Vegas. "Look, we got nine
wins this year. Nobody has been able to do that. It's obvious the
only reason we lost the championship is because of the point
penalty."
Biffle's team was penalized 120 points -- of a 130-point lead -- by NASCAR for an illegal engine part used in the Las Vegas race, which he won.
"We're just going to do better next year and, hopefully have
more than a 130-point lead and not come down to the last race of
the year," he said.
With the late shuffle, Joe Ruttman wound up second Saturday,
followed by Stacy Compton, Hamilton, Bliss, two-time series
champion Hornaday and Biffle.
Sprague and Hornaday, bitter rivals on the track and friends off
it, celebrated after the race by stopping their trucks side-by-side
on the apron in front of the main grandstand, climbing out and
raising their hands in a victory gesture.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jack Spraque wins the NAPA 200 on Saturday and his second Craftsman Trucks Series championship.
avi: 909 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Sprague makes his winning move on Ron Hornaday with two laps to go.
avi: 727 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Dennis Setzer championship dreams are dashed in crash on lap 17.
avi: 850 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Sprague says he had a lot of help from his friends on and off the track.
wav: 335 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Greg Biffle doesn't want the points title to come down to the final race next season.
wav: 164 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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