Auto Club 500 - Brian Vickers Notes

LEADING LAPS: Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolets, led his first laps of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season on Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Vickers grabbed the point for Laps 57-58, his first since leading 11 circuits during the Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2003.

VICKERS THE YOUNGEST: On Sunday, Vickers will become the youngest driver (20 years, 6 months, 8 days) to compete in a Cup Series event at California Speedway, supplanting previous record-holder Casey Atwood (20 years, 8 months, 4 days). Vickers finished 19th in his only other appearance at California -- a NASCAR Busch Series start in 2003.

TEAM 25 AT CALIFORNIA: During last year's event at California Speedway the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports team qualified ninth and finished 32nd. The best-ever result for the team at the 2-mile oval came in 1999 when they earned an eighth-place finish.

BLOWING OUT THE CANDLES: There will most likely be lots of cake and ice cream served up in the No. 5 shop at Hendrick Motorsports over the next few weeks. Eight of the 42 employees on the team roster will celebrate birthdays during the month of May: Glen Bobo (body shop), Eric Ellington (fabricator), Terry Grimes (fabricator), Lynn Hess (assistant scorer), Kevin Hulstein (tire specialist), Kaye Jenkins (chief scorer), Darrell McDonald (machinist) and Dean Mozingo (truck driver).

CHASSIS NO. 2551 FOR VICKERS: The No. 25 GMAC Financial Services team will field Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 2551 this weekend. The car saw action this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, qualifying second and finishing 21st. GMAC Racing also used the same chassis to complete recent tests at Kentucky Speedway and Pocono Raceway.

BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES CHEVROLETS: (ON TALLADEGA.) "I learned a ton and had fun, but the race didn't end like we would have wanted. We went from the back to the front and vice versa at least three times during the race. Who knows how many cars we actually passed throughout the race -- it was a lot."

VICKERS: (ON THE SPIN LATE IN THE RACE.) "I was in the middle of three-wide racing with Jamie McMurray on my outside and Casey Mears to my inside. Our car was just a little loose and Jamie got such a run on the outside of me, it must have taken all of the air off my spoiler as he went by, forcing me to spin."

VICKERS: (ON GOING TO CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY THIS WEEK.) "I'm excited about getting back out west. Our team recently finished a couple of test sessions at Kentucky Speedway and Pocono Raceway. We learned a lot from both places that we'll be able to apply this weekend at California."