BRIAN VICKERS NOTES & QUOTES
NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES

VICKERS STILL YOUNGEST DARLINGTON WINNER: By virtue of winning the August 2003 NASCAR Busch Series event at 19, Brian Vickers became the youngest-ever driver to visit Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Saturday will mark the fourth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at the 1.366-mile oval for the Thomasville, N.C., native, whose best showing there came last year when he qualified fifth and finished 16th in a No. 25 GMAC Chevrolet.

DARLINGTON ON VICKERS' 'TO-DEW' LIST: Vickers will drive a No. 57 Mountain Dew Chevrolet on Friday at Darlington Raceway, marking his fifth Busch Series race of the year. Vickers, who has already seen Busch Series action at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, California Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this season, has earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes in those four starts.

HENDRICK GOING FOR 12TH DARLINGTON WIN: Car owner Rick Hendrick has 11 NEXTEL Cup victories at Darlington Raceway, which ties him with Junior Johnson for first on the track's all-time list. Hendrick has won at the 1.366-mile oval with drivers Jeff Gordon (6), Jimmie Johnson (2), Terry Labonte (1), Ricky Rudd (1) and Tim Richmond (1).

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY: The mothers of Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch will be two of the NEXTEL Cup moms honored by Darlington Raceway on Saturday. Ramona Vickers and Gaye Busch will be introduced alongside their sons before helping give the command, "Sons and gentlemen, start your engines!"

OLD FAITHFUL: Crew chief Lance McGrew has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 334 as the primary option for Vickers and the No. 25 GMAC Racing team in Saturday night's NEXTEL Cup event at Darlington. The car has been run at Atlanta and Texas in 2006 and last season recorded three top-10 finishes and the NEXTEL Open victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLETS: (ARE YOU FRUSTRATED WITH THE TEAM'S OUTCOME AT RICHMOND?) "We missed a good opportunity to strengthen our position in the points and it's disappointing not to have left Richmond with a better finish after having run inside the top-10 for most of the race. Saturday night was a tough one to swallow, but there's not much that can be done at this point. We have to shake it off and prepare for Darlington. Right now, that's what matters most to us."

VICKERS: (THE TEAM SLIPPED FIVE POSITIONS IN THE STANDINGS AFTER HAVING GAINED FIVE POSITIONS THE WEEK BEFORE. IS THE BACK-AND-FORTH A CHALLENGE TO DEAL WITH?) "The closeness in the points is reflective of the overall competition level in the series. There's nothing easy about being able to make up ground on the track or in the standings. Consistency is the best way to make moves (in the points) and that's what we're striving for with the GMAC Racing team. Saturday's finish doesn't change our goals for the season and our desire to make the cut for the Chase. The remaining 16 races should provide us with plenty of time to work our way back toward the top. The next two-to-three months include tracks where we've been really good in the past and I'm excited for what's ahead."

VICKERS: (DARLINGTON IS YOUR FAVORITE TRACK ON THE CIRCUIT. WHY IS THAT?) "It's old, the pavement is worn out and the track has character -- lots of it. We go to so many tracks with similar configurations, but nowhere compares to Darlington. The place is messed up. Turns 1 and 2 are different from Turns 3 and 4. The frontstretch used to be the backstretch. I still hear people refer to the backstretch as the frontstretch. It's crazy, but it's fun and I'm glad the NEXTEL Cup Series continues to race there."

VICKERS: (SUNDAY IS MOTHER'S DAY. WHAT HAS YOUR MOM MEANT TO YOUR CAREER?) "It's really hard to describe, but she's always been there for me. No matter what, I've always had her support. Growing up, when my mom realized the passion I had for racing, she was behind me 100 percent and that's a lot to ask of a mom, especially because of the danger associated with our sport. Never has it been a case of me being involved in racing by myself, because she's been with me the entire way. My mom is very much responsible for helping me to get to where I am now. I'll always be grateful for the sacrifices she's made for me."