BRIAN VICKERS NOTES & QUOTES
VICKERS CONTINUES SECOND-HALF SURGE:
Just five drivers have outscored 21-year-old Brian Vickers in the second half of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. In the 13 events dating back to mid-July, only Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Rusty Wallace, Greg Biffle and Mark Martin have accumulated more points.
HENDRICK GOING FOR LUCKY 13:
Jimmie Johnson’s May 29 NEXTEL Cup victory was the 12th for car owner Rick Hendrick at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. No other owner has more than eight wins at the track.
‘25’ A FRONTRUNNER:
Driving a No. 25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolet, Vickers led five different times for a race-best 98 laps in May’s 600-miler at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, marking the first time he had ever led the most laps in a NEXTEL Cup event. Since then, the Thomasville, N.C., native has paced 159 circuits of Cup competition for a season total of 309. He has led 572.870 miles, which is seventh-best in 2005.
LOWE’S SWEET LOWE’S:
Hendrick Motorsports has won at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with five different drivers in three different decades. Johnson and Jeff Gordon have four victories apiece, with Darrell Waltrip (2), Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader also scoring wins for Rick Hendrick. Three came in the 1980s (Waltrip and Schrader), five in the 1990s (Gordon and Labonte) and four since 2000 (Johnson).
‘25’ DNF-FREE SINCE MAY:
It’s been 18 races since a No. 25 Chevrolet did not finish a NEXTEL Cup race, the most recent coming at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Only five other drivers this season have gone longer without posting a DNF: Greg Biffle, Jeff Green, Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace.
MUSEUM EXPANDS HOURS:
The Hendrick Motorsports museum will expand its business hours Oct. 10-16 to accommodate visitors during Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s UAW-GM Quality 500 race week. Fans may visit www.HendrickMotorsports.com for a full operating schedule.
VICKERS’ DEBUT CAME AT LMS:
A 19-year-old Vickers made his Cup-level debut at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October 2003, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd in a Hendrick-owned Chevrolet.
CHASSIS 353 FOR VICKERS:
GMAC Racing will call upon Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 353 for this weekend’s 500-miler at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The car has seen action in three Cup events this season, earning two top-five results and qualifying inside the top 10 in each outing. It was most recently run at California Speedway in September, qualifying ninth and finishing third.
BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC/ditech.com CHEVROLETS:
(WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE RECENT CHANGES MADE TO THE RACING SURFACE AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY?) “I know there’s been a lot of debate about the condition of the track, but regardless of all of the opinions, every team is faced with the same set of challenges of trying to adapt. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s going to be the same for everyone and that’s all you can ask for.”
VICKERS:
(THE NO. 25 TEAM HAD A VERY STRONG TWO WEEKS AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN MAY. WITH THE CHANGES TO THE TRACK, CAN THE TEAM DUPLICATE THE PERFORMANCE?) “When you race at a track for the second time in a season nothing ever stays the same. Even though we did have a good car in May, that doesn’t guarantee us any level of success because we have to continue working to get better. If nothing else, I know we have a very solid baseline from May to work from.”
VICKERS:
(WHAT SHOULD THE FANS EXPECT FROM SATURDAY NIGHT’S RACE AT LOWE’S?) “The track is going to be fast, probably faster than it was in May. There were a record number of cautions in May and, although I expect there to be some on Saturday, I don’t think the number will be nearly as high. There were circumstances that contributed to those accidents (in May). It was the first time we’d run on the levigated surface and teams were still trying to get a hold on the new rules package. Time has passed and I think teams are now better prepared. From a fan perspective, even though there were complaints from the drivers, they still saw plenty of great action and an awesome race. I mean, the race was decided on the last lap. What else could you want?”
