CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY
AUTO CLUB 500 ADVANCE

ENTRIES: Red Bull Toyota — No. 83 Brian Vickers and No. 84 AJ Allmendinger
RACE: NEXTEL Cup, Auto Club 500
TRACK: California Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
DATES: Feb. 23-25, 2007

+ IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED…
All it took was a few Red Bulls last Friday to cure the Duel 150s hangover. So a week after rookie Team Red Bull fell short in its bid to qualify for the Daytona 500, Nos. 83 and 84 give it another try-try again at California Speedway.

To recap those who weren’t paying attention in last week’s Duel 150s at Daytona, AJ Allmendinger and Brian Vickers became victims of high-speed circumstance, and their chances to compete in the Great American Race went home in the form of crumpled Camrys. AJ started 19th and finished 29th — thanks to a nudge by Robby Gordon, mind you — in the first 150-mile qualifying race. In the second Duel, Brian quickly charged from 20th to draft in the top three, but like his teammate, he found the wall after his rear right tire blew with 11 laps to go. He ended up 26th with a heap of black rubber to kick back at the garage.

But not all was lost at Speedweeks. The first Toyota to lead a competitive lap in NEXTEL Cup racing was Brian’s No. 83, as his Camry showed the way for two laps early in the Budweiser Shootout. Now, if only that was a points race.

+ CALIFORNIA LOVIN’
It seems Brian has taken quite a liking to the wide, sweeping two-mile surface of California Speedway. And the track has shown him some California lovin’ in return. Needing to make Sunday’s Auto Club 500 on speed, Brian has reason for optimism. In six California races for the No. 25 car, he has qualified outside the top 10 only once. He earned the second pole of his brief career in the September 2004 race, clocking the fastest lap at 187.417 miles per hour. And he twice has started on the outside of the front row. California Speedway: Will you be our belated Valentine?

Meanwhile, while the Speedway is new to AJ, California isn’t. Nearly 400 up the 5 is where AJ calls home, and this weekend’s trip to California Speedway is about as close as AJ will get to his hometown of Los Gatos until the industry goes Sonoma winery hopping this summer.

+ AJ RENEWS TRUCKER’S LICENSE
The bulky, boxy machines in the Craftsman Truck Series suit AJ’s driving style just fine. In the season-opening truck race at Daytona, AJ brought his Red Bull Tundra home in 15th after his Waltrip Motorsports No. 00 dodged several bullets — partly because of the quick thinking of spotter Tim Fedewa — and even a jaunt through the tri-oval grass while taking evasive action.

The second of his 12 truck starts this season comes in Friday night’s San Bernardino County 200. After that, AJ keeps on truckin’ to Atlanta on March 16.

+ QUOTES
Brian Vickers, No. 83 driver — “We’re heading to California with mixed emotions after Daytona. The Bud Shootout was a great way to start the year because we had a competitive race car, led some laps and brought home a good finish [8th]. But to blow a tire in the Duel and not get into the Daytona 500 — that was definitely a big disappointment for me and the whole team.”

Doug Richert, No. 83 crew chief — “The best thing we can do right now is exactly what we’ve been doing — building the best cars we can and racing them as best as we know how. There are a lot of smart, talented and experienced guys working on these cars. It’s just a matter of time before we get our race cars competitive and get to where we want to be on the speed charts.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 84 driver — “I am pumped to come back to California for the race this weekend. It’s a track in my home state, and I can’t wait to race in front of my friends and family and all of those that have supported me throughout the years. This will be the first time they see me actually inside a race car with a hood.”