BRIAN VICKERS NOTES & QUOTES
VICKERS MAKING A POINT:
Over the last 11 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, driver Brian Vickers is tied for seventh in total points earned. He is the only non-Chase driver in the top-10 in cumulative points since the July 10 Chicagoland Speedway event.
HENDRICK AT ‘DEGA:
Car owner Rick Hendrick has six Cup Series victories at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, site of this weekend’s 500-miler. He now sits in a three-way tie for second on the all-time list with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Rainer Racing. Richard Childress leads with nine wins at the 2.66-mile tri-oval.
‘25’ KEEPS BUILDING MOMENTUM:
Vickers, who pilots the No. 25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolets, finished 14th Sunday at Dover, Del., giving GMAC Racing its ninth top-15 showing in the last 11 races. Five of those runs have netted top-10 finishes.
CHASSIS 308 FOR GMAC RACING:
GMAC Racing will field Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 308 for this weekend’s 500-miler at Talladega. The No. 25 team most recently raced the car in July at Daytona Beach, Fla., where it ran in the top 10 most of the event until sustaining damage in a pit road collision. The car was previously driven by teammate Jimmie Johnson at Talladega in May, when it qualified sixth and finished 20th.
VICKERS MEETING FANS:
On Friday, Vickers will greet fans and sign autographs beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET at Edwards Chevrolet-East in Birmingham, Ala. The next day, Vickers will sign at the No. 25 GMAC Racing souvenir hauler following Saturday’s final NEXTEL Cup practice at Talladega.
BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC/ditech.com CHEVROLETS:
(IS IT FRUSTRATING RACING AT RESTRICTOR-PLATE TRACKS BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON AERODYNAMICS?) “I will admit that competing at places like Daytona and Talladega can be frustrating because it is so easy to be swept up in someone else’s accident that you had no part in causing. That’s the frustrating part.”
VICKERS:
(WHAT’S IT LIKE TO RUN 190 MPH FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS WITH 42 OTHER CARS?) “I like going fast, plain and simple, so for me it’s a rush. On the other hand, running at Talladega is mentally taxing because you focus so hard on what’s happening ahead of and behind you. Nowadays, you’re looking just as much in your mirror as you are out of the windshield to see drafting lines are forming behind you and whether or not you should jump in front of them or maintain your position. We run inches apart from one another, knowing the slightest bobble can cause a big mess, but that’s why the fans are on the edge of their seats for the duration. It’s very intense and you really don’t have a single moment to let your guard down.”
VICKERS:
(IS THERE SOMETHING PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE ABOUT RESTRICTOR-PLATE RACING OR SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T GET TALKED ABOUT TOO MUCH?) “I don’t think people really realize the strategy involved with plate racing. I’ve had the good fortune of being able to learn from two of the best in Jeff (Gordon) and Jimmie (Johnson). I mean, you can bump draft or stall out the progress of another car based upon where you position yours and how the air is hitting their car. You’d be surprised what air does at 200 mph.”
