'25' LOOKS GOOD AT BRISTOL:
Brian Vickers' 12th-place effort Sunday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway was the best Cup Series finish for the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports team at the .533-mile bullring since March 2002, when Jerry Nadeau posted an eighth-place result. Prior to Vickers' performance, a No. 25 Chevrolet had not recorded a higher Bristol finish since 1994.
HENDRICK GOES 3 OF 4:
A Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has won three of the four most recent NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Jeff Gordon accounts for two of those victories, while Jimmie Johnson owns one.
CATCH BUSCH & VICKERS ON CMT AWARDS:
On Monday, April 11, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers will travel to Nashville, Tenn., where the pair will be presenters at this year's Country Music Television Awards. Other attendees include Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Jeff Daniels, Gina Gershon, Dennis Hopper, Larry the Cable Guy, William Shatner and many more. The show will air live on CMT beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
MOMENTUM FOR VICKERS:
During the last two events (Hampton, Ga., and Bristol, Tenn.), Vickers has an average qualifying effort of 10.0 and an average finish of 9.0, marking the best back-to-back NEXTEL Cup performances since the 21-year-old began racing full-time on the circuit in 2004.
VICKERS AT MARTINSVILLE:
Vickers has now competed in three different racing series at Martinsville. His NEXTEL Cup track debut at the paper-clip-shaped oval yielded a 13th-place result in April 2004, and he previously made appearances in NASCAR's Late Model division (1999) and the Allison Legacy Car Series (1998).
MAKE IT A DOZEN:
A first-place finish at Martinsville would tie car owner Rick Hendrick for second in all-time wins at the Virginia short track. Alone in third-place with 11 victories, Hendrick Motorsports trails only Petty Engineering (19) and Junior Johnson (12).
HOMECOMING FOR WHITESELL, ELLINGTON:
Brian Whitesell, team manager of the Nos. 5, 25 and 44 Chevrolets, hails from Stuarts Draft, Va., roughly 140 miles from the Martinsville Speedway, while fabricator Eric Ellington is a native of nearby Greensboro, N.C. Ellington joined the No. 5 Kellogg's team prior to the 2003 NASCAR season.
'25' TESTS MARTINSVILLE:
GMAC Racing spent one day testing at Martinsville on Tuesday, March 29 in preparation for this weekend's 500-lapper. Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 309 was tuned during the session and has been designated as the team's primary car when NEXTEL Cup teams begin on-track activities Friday.
BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC/ditech.com CHEVROLETS:
(YOU MADE YOUR CUP SERIES DEBUT AT MARTINSVILLE IN 2004. GOING BACK THIS WEEKEND, HOW MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE DO YOU FEEL WITH THE RACE TRACK?) "We tested before the spring race last year to get me familiar with driving a Cup car at such a unique place like Martinsville. We opted to test again last week. I feel much more comfortable headed into this year's event, as opposed to 2004. Martinsville is a track that I believe benefits the veterans, the more experienced drivers. The more laps you've made, the better off you are because experience is invaluable."
VICKERS:
(DOES HAVING BACK-TO-BACK SHORT-TRACK RACES PROVIDE MORE EXCITEMENT FOR THE FANS?) "It can be tough for the drivers and NASCAR, but good for the fans. Fans want to see action -- that's why Bristol and Martinsville sell out every year. There's a good chance you'll see some paybacks at Martinsville this weekend carried over from Bristol because everything is still pretty fresh in people's minds. Normally, there's enough of a separation in the schedule between the short-track races, allowing people to cool down, talk things over or just plain forget. Depending on how you look at it, that luxury doesn't exist this year on the schedule."
VICKERS:
(WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS SO FAR ON NASCAR'S NEW METHOD OF POLICING SPEEDS ON PIT ROAD?) "It's a great thing and I'm all in favor of the steps NASCAR has taken with its new system. I understand it (the old method) may have been the best they could do at the time, but things have changed and so has the technology that's available. Under the old system, you had a few officials up in the tower trying to clock 43 cars on pit road, which was nearly impossible. There were times in the past when you felt like you were getting wronged because you may have gotten passed on pit road. The best part about the new system is that it's fair for everyone."
