EA Sports 500 - Brian Vickers Notes

VICKERS MAKING SEVENTH SUPERSPEEDWAY START: Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolets, will be making his seventh career NASCAR start at a superspeedway this weekend at Talladega. The 20-year-old has notched two career top-10 finishes at restrictor-plate tracks, both of which came at Daytona Beach, Fla., in NASCAR Busch Series (July 2003) and NEXTEL Cup (July 2004) competition. Vickers led at a superspeedway for the first time in his NASCAR career in April at Talladega, taking the top spot for two laps.

'25' LOOKS TO IMPROVE 'DEGA QUALIFYING: Back in June, the GMAC Racing team spent two days testing at Talladega, focusing solely on qualifying setup. In three superspeedway starts this season, the No. 25 team's average starting position is 29.33.

HMS LOOKING FOR SUPERSPEEDWAY REPEAT: During the last superspeedway event, held at Daytona International Speedway in July, each of Hendrick Motorsports' four NEXTEL Cup entries finished inside the top 10. Gordon won the race, while Jimmie Johnson, Labonte, and Vickers finished second, eighth and ninth, respectively.

NEW CAR FOR GMAC RACING: For the first time this season, Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 2561 will serve as GMAC Racing's primary option for competition at Talladega. It's the second week in a row the No. 25 team has carried a brand new primary car to the race track.

HMS OUT FRONT: There have been two races this season in which every Hendrick Motorsports team (Nos. 5, 24, 25, 48) has led at least one lap in the same event. The first such feat occurred at Talladega in April and the second at Pocono Raceway in June.

BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES CHEVROLETS: (YOU'RE STILL RELATIVELY NEW TO RESTRICTOR-PLATE RACING. WHAT'S YOUR COMFORT LEVEL NOW AT THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS?) "I look forward to the restrictor-plate races because they're fun. I'm still learning and I learn something new each time we go to the plate tracks. There's not much that can prepare you for racing at places like Daytona and Talladega. The best way to get that experience is going there and racing. Maybe over time my opinion will change. You either hate superspeedway racing or you love it. I happen to love it."

VICKERS: (IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO AVOID GETTING INTO TROUBLE AT TALLADEGA?) "Some guys prefer to stay in the back of the field until the big wreck. Others like to be as close to the front as possible. I'm the kind of person that wants to be up front, but I'm probably not the best person to provide comments because I've experienced my fair share of troubles at the restrictor-plate tracks, whether its been my fault or not. A lot of it is just luck, putting yourself in the right position at the right time and not being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

VICKERS: (HOW DIFFERENT OR HOW SIMILAR ARE DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA?) "There's a big difference. I realized that when I went to Talladega for the first time. Talladega is fun because you can run three-wide easier, and don't have to worry as much about handling because it's more about the draft. Daytona is a lot about handling, especially when it comes to the race."