Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 - Brian Vickers Notes

VICKERS THE YOUNGEST EVER AT DARLINGTON: By virtue of winning the August 2003 NASCAR Busch Series event at Darlington as a 19-year-old, Brian Vickers became the youngest driver ever to visit Victory Lane at the historic venue. This week will mark Vickers' first-ever NEXTEL Cup laps at Darlington, which will host its 100th points race in NASCAR's premier series on Sunday.

'25' UP FRONT: With a second-place qualifying effort at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week, GMAC Racing earned its second consecutive top-three start of the season. The team has qualified in the top-five in six of the last eight Cup Series races, dating back last October at Atlanta, when Vickers began driving the No. 25 Chevrolets.

FIFTH DARLINGTON START FOR VICKERS: Vickers, a Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender, has made four career starts at Darlington, all in the Busch Series. In 2003, he finished seventh and first in the two races at the egg-shaped oval.

HENDRICK AT DARLINGTON: Car owner Rick Hendrick is currently second on the all-time win list at Darlington with nine, just one behind leader Junior Johnson. With the exception of 2001, Hendrick Motorsports teams have either won a race or pole at the 1.366-mile oval every year dating back to 1995.

MORE HENDRICK AT DARLINGTON: Hendrick has seven wins in the last 17 races at Darlington, with Gordon or Labonte accounting for each of those. Gordon has scored six victories and 13 top-10 finishes in his last 17 starts at Darlington, while Labonte has one triumph and four top-10 finishes in those same events. Gordon led at least one lap in 15 of those 17.

BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES CHEVROLETS: (HOW SPECIAL WAS IT FOR YOU TO WIN AT DARLINGTON LAST AUGUST?) "It was a great honor to win at Darlington in the Busch Series last season, given the history of the track. Of all places on the schedule, Darlington is my favorite because it presents so many challenges for a driver. From changing track conditions to its tire-eating surface, Darlington has a mind of its own."

VICKERS: (ON SAFER WALL BARRIERS BEING INSTALLED AT DARLINGTON.) "I commend the track for looking out for the safety of the drivers, but there are plenty of other tracks we race at that are in greater need of the SAFER barriers. What about the mile-and-a-half tracks like Chicago and Kansas? At Darlington, we run inches away from the outside wall because there's not enough room as it is. How hard can someone actually hit the wall if we're already running against it? Darlington is already tough enough to get around because it's so narrow. Now, with two feet less race track, things should be real interesting. It's hard to say how the changes will affect the racing."

VICKERS: (IN WHAT AREAS DO YOU NEED TO IMPROVE UPON MOVING FORWARD?) "As a whole, I have confidence in these guys (on the team) and I feel they're the same way with me. We're still getting adjusted to working together, building the chemistry within the team and getting the communication working without any problems."

PETER SOSPENZO, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES CHEVROLETS: (WHAT IS THE TEAM FOCUSING ON RIGHT NOW?) "We've got to get our cars better for Brian at the beginning of races. The last couple of weeks we've gotten behind in the beginning, giving up everything we gained by qualifying like we have. By the end of the races we've had our car handling well, but by then we've sacrificed too many positions. We need to be able to maintain position early. If we can do that, the results will follow."