KYLE BUSCH NOTES & QUOTES
VICKERS KEEPS MOMENTUM GOING:
Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolets, finished third Sunday at California, giving GMAC Racing its fourth top-10 showing in the last five races. In the past eight events, the 21-year-old Vickers has scored seven top-15 results, including five top-10 runs.
VICKERS AT RICHMOND:
At Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in May 2002, Vickers scored his first career top-10 result in NASCAR competition, finishing seventh after starting 38th in the Busch Series. In May 2004, Vickers captured both his first NEXTEL Cup pole position and top-10 finish (seventh) at the .75-mile oval.
HENDRICK AT RICHMOND:
Rick Hendrick is second among active car owners with seven Cup wins at Richmond International Raceway. A native of Palmer Springs, Va., Hendrick has gone to Victory Lane with drivers Terry Labonte (3), Jeff Gordon (2), Joe Nemechek (1) and Tim Richmond (1).
GREEN DAY ON ‘25’ SATURDAY NIGHT:
As part of the theme for Saturday night’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond, Vickers’ No. 25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolet will sport a different look. The car will carry a special paint scheme featuring Grammy Award-winning rockers Green Day.
VICKERS GETS CHASSIS 295:
GMAC Racing will call upon Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 295 for this weekend’s 400-lap affair at Richmond. The car most recently saw action at New Hampshire International Speedway, winning the pole and finishing 11th. It also was used earlier in the season at Phoenix, where Vickers finished fifth.
‘25’ TESTS RIR:
In preparation for Saturday’s NEXTEL Cup event, the No. 25 team spent Aug. 22-23 testing Richmond.
VIRGINIA IS FOR RACERS:
GMAC Racing crew members Jim Jenkins, Tom Stewart and Brian Whitesell all hail from the commonwealth of Virginia. Jenkins, a mechanic, and Stewart, the team’s lead engineer, were both raised in Hampton, about 75 miles east of Richmond International Raceway. Whitesell, the team manager for the Nos. 5, 25 and 44 teams, is from Stuarts Draft.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LISA:
Lisa Smokstad, tire specialist for GMAC Racing, celebrated a birthday on Tuesday, Sept. 6. A native of Shakopee, Minn., Smokstad is in her first year working in the NEXTEL Cup garage. She joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1999 and worked with the organization’s Truck and Busch Series teams before making the jump to Cup. Smokstad was a member of Vickers’ Busch Series championship team in 2003 and won Truck titles with driver Jack Sprague in 1999 and 2001.
BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC/ditech.com CHEVROLETS:
(YOUR TEAM HAD ANOTHER SOLID FINISH AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY AND KYLE BUSCH WON HIS FIRST RACE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR FIRST WIN IS NEAR?) “The Nos. 5 and 25 teams have been hitting on all eight cylinders since July. I knew it was only a matter of time until one of the teams went to Victory Lane. I try not to think too much about getting that first win. We’ll continue doing what we’ve been doing for the last two months and when it comes, it comes.”
VICKERS:
(YOU’VE OFFICIALLY BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. DO YOU APPROACH THE RACES ANY DIFFERENTLY MOVING FORWARD?) “We still want to finish as high in the standings as we can, while continuing to build for next year. We’re not going to have a ‘go-for-broke’ approach to the remaining races because it’s important we continue building momentum and establishing consistency for 2006. That’s not to say we won’t try something different a time or two, but our focus remains on finishing this season as strong as we can.”
