TEAM RED BULL
LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY
NEXTEL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE ADVANCE

ENTRIES: Red Bull No. 83 Brian Vickers and Red Bull No. 84 AJ Allmendinger
RACE: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Nextel All-Star Challenge & Nextel Open
TRACK: Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
DATES: May 18-19, 2007

+ SCRATCH ‘N WIN
The drivers may say the Nextel All-Star Challenge is about prestige, pride, bragging rights…blah, blah, blah…it’s an instant-win Million bucks, let’s face it. So grab your lottery ticket and pick your winner for Saturday night’s main feature at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Red Bull Racing’s No. 83 race car, thanks to Brian Vicker’s victory last fall at Talladega Superspeedway in the No. 25, is locked into the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Ah yes, so much easier. Although, you may recall that Brian’s done it the hard way before as the former winner of the 2005 Nextel Open qualifier, a sort-of short track heat qualifier to get in the main feature.

That’s exactly what Red Bull rookie AJ Allmendinger has to do to advance beyond Saturday’s night’s Nextel Open. If the No. 84 doesn’t register a top two finish to make the main feature, AJ’s work doesn’t necessarily end that night. He’s slated to be a pit reporter for Speed TV’s All-Star Challenge telecast. More like a pit bull reporter if you’ve seen AJ’s hilarious antics on Speed’s NASCAR Raceday show lately.

+ WHITE-KNUCKLE CROSSOVER
World-class kayaker Tao Berman comes to town to soak in this weekend’s All-Star festivities, and to give Brian Vickers a crash course in navigating wicked whitewater — a skill Brian has been trying to pick up the last year. Like racing, kayaking requires two hands and a knack for anticipation, but whitewater can be more unruly than asphalt. Berman should know. He owns three world records and once plummeted 98.4 feet from the top of a canyon waterfall.

On Sunday, Berman and BV venture over to the new U.S. National Whitewater Center outside Charlotte for a paddle. Afterwards, roles reverse when Berman heads to Lowe’s Motor Speedway for a spin behind the wheel of a stock car.

+ BACKSTRETCH PIT STOP
Beware! What you are seeing is not a mirage. The metal structure oasis perched above the entrance into Turn 3, looking down onto the backstretch is actually the two-story, 5,000-square-foot Red Bull Energy Station. On hand to entertain invite-only guests for both race weekends, the Red Bull Energy Station provides the comfort, entertainment and perks usually found at your favorite club. Only this one travels with a view. Earplugs recommended.

+ QUOTES
Brian Vickers, driver, No. 83 – “The All-Star race? Bring it on! This race is great because it’s at our hometown track in Charlotte, and it’s a fun race because it’s just a dash for the cash — the $1 million prize. There’s no points at stake, no pressure and no holding back. It’s a short race, too, and you can’t say that about the rest of the Cup races — especially the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend. Man, that’s a long race!”

Doug Richert, crew chief, No. 83 – “The All-Star Challenge is a really fun race. It’s great to be able to go out there and not worry about points or about being careful on the track. We’re preparing our car right now for an all-out short race battle. We have good equipment, and we’re capable of running up front and even winning. After testing at Charlotte this month, we know where we stand at this track and our race cars are looking good to go.”

AJ Allmendinger, driver, No. 84 – “The All-Star race has always been one of the most exciting races to watch on TV. It’s cool that I get a chance to race my way into it this year. I have no expectations going into the weekend. I am just going to drive as hard as I can in the Open and try to be one of the two cars to race their way into the All-Star race. I also plan to learn as much as possible to help us in the 600 next weekend.”

Ricky Viers, crew chief No. 84 – “Well, the pressure of not being in the top 35 in points doesn’t affect us this weekend. We will get to race in the Nextel Open no matter what, so we will be able to focus on the race setup instead of the qualifying setup. Once you are in the Open, I think if you have a good car you probably will be able to stay out and not take tires. What you have will be what you have. It should be a fun race for AJ, though, since he has nothing to lose. And hopefully we will have the opportunity to race our way in to the All-Star Challenge race and surprise a lot of folks.”