BRIAN VICKERS NOTES & QUOTES

VICKERS DEFENDING OPEN WIN: Brian Vickers and his GMAC Racing team earned a berth in the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge by posting a win in the NEXTEL Open. Vickers went on to finish third in the 70-lap main event.

VIRGINIA IS FOR ROAD RACERS: Vickers and the GMAC team spent Tuesday at Virginia International Raceway to prepare for the June 25 road-course event at Infineon Raceway.

'25' RUNNING NEW CAR IN OPEN: Vickers will pilot a brand new No. 25 GMAC Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in Saturday night's NEXTEL Open at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 384 has never been tested or raced.

HENDRICK IN THE ALL-STAR: Rick Hendrick, who founded Hendrick Motorsports in 1984 as "All-Star Racing," has five NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge wins -- more than any other car owner. He has earned those victories with three different drivers: Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001), Terry Labonte (1999) and Jimmie Johnson (2003). Hendrick has also won the NEXTEL Open on three occasions, with Gordon in 1994, Ricky Craven in 1997 and Brian Vickers last season.

HENDRICK HAS 13 AT LOWE'S: Team owner Rick Hendrick has notched 13 points-paying NEXTEL Cup victories at Lowe's Motor Speedway, putting him first on the track's all-time win list. Junior Johnson and Petty Engineering are tied for second with eight apiece.

VICKERS SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS FRIDAY: Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC Chevrolets, will greet fans and sign autographs at the GMAC Racing souvenir hauler outside Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday. Vickers will be available at 2:30 p.m. local time, following NEXTEL Open practice.

BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLETS: (WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WIN THE NEXTEL OPEN IN 2005?) "It was really a good feeling to win the Open, but we'd much rather have won a points race to get in. At that time, the Open was the race we were in and we were there to win it."

VICKERS: (WHAT'S THE MINDSET FOR THE NEXTEL OPEN?) "First place is the only thing that matters. Second pays nothing and there are no points on the line. It's winner take all."

VICKERS: (CAN YOUR TEAM WIN THE NEXTEL OPEN AGAIN?) "It's a tough race to win, but we've done it before and I think we can do it again. We've had some real good cars as of late, but on-track incidents have prevented us from getting good finishes. This is the race last year where things really started to click for our team and helped us to string together a solid three months. We're looking for the same thing at Lowe's on Saturday night."

VICKERS: (DO THE CHANGES TO THE TRACK CHANGE YOUR APPROACH TO THE NEXTEL OPEN?) "I like what they've done to the track. The tires are a bit too hard for my liking, but it's still Lowe's and you still have to win the Open to make it into the All-Star race. The Open is only 30 laps, so once that first segment is finished, you have to be ready to go because the 10-lap final segment goes by quick."