BRIAN VICKERS NOTES & QUOTES
VICKERS GEARING UP FOR INFINEON:
In an effort to better prepare for the NEXTEL Cup event at Infineon Raceway, Brian Vickers has visited the Phoenix-based Bob Bondurant Driving School twice, including a two-day session this week. GMAC Racing also made laps at Virginia International Raceway on June 15 to shake down its primary car for Sunday.
‘WON’ FOR THE ROAD:
Rick Hendrick leads all car owners at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) with four Cup Series victories, each coming courtesy of driver Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team. Robert Yates is second among owners with three wins at the track.
SECOND TIME’S A CHARM:
Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolets, will make his second career start at Infineon Raceway this weekend. In his debut at the road course in 2004 NEXTEL Cup competition, Vickers qualified 39th and finished 22nd.
STREAK ENDS FOR VICKERS:
GMAC Racing’s streak of two consecutive top-six finishes was halted Sunday at Michigan International Speedway after a tire problem on Lap 41 forced Vickers to spin and hit a water barrier at the entrance of pit road. He was running fifth at the time.
BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC/ditech.com CHEVROLETS:
(DID SUNDAY’S 41ST-PLACE FINISH HURT THE TEAM’S MOMENTUM?) “What happened at Michigan was frustrating. Everyone’s been working so hard and we’ve been having some good results. We had a really good car. I knew we had a tire issue, I just wished I would’ve tried getting to pit road earlier. There’s not a lot we can do at this point except look ahead. One bad result isn’t going to change how this team performs. Infineon presents us with a good opportunity to gain back some of the points we lost at MIS.”
VICKERS:
(WHY HAVE YOU SPENT SO MUCH TIME PREPARING FOR THE ROAD-COURSE EVENTS THIS SEASON?) “I’ve always enjoyed the road courses and I think they represent good opportunities to make up points because some guys struggle at these tracks. We race on ovals the majority of the time, but I’d really like to be able to run well at places like Infineon and Watkins Glen (N.Y.).”
VICKERS:
(WHAT’S THE KEY TO A GOOD FINISH AT INFINEON?) “If you can stay on the course and keep your car from wheel-hopping, you’re almost guaranteed a top-15 or top-10 finish.”
VICKERS:
(IS INFINEON MORE CHALLENGING THAN WATKINS GLEN, THE OTHER ROAD COURSE ON THE SCHEDULE?) “They’re both challenging in their own sense. I think Infineon is more technical than Watkins Glen. The elevation changes, blind corners, lack of run-off room and shorter turns make Infineon a difficult course to get around. Watkins Glen is more of a high-speed course in my opinion.”
