TEAM RED BULL
INFINEON RACEWAY
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350

ENTRIES: Red Bull No. 83 Brian Vickers and Red Bull No. 84 AJ Allmendinger
RACE: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, “Toyota/Save Mart 350”
TRACK: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA
DATES: June 22-24, 2007

+ MUST YIELD: AJ’S TURNING RIGHT
Throughout his Champ Car days, AJ Allmendinger completed 3,473 laps of race competition, and almost all of them involved a right-hand turn somewhere along the line. He has driven stock cars ever since, and not once in 2,641 laps has anyone around the rookie pondered turning any direction but left.

This is where we cue the Toyota Save Mart 350, which is Nextel Cup’s first road-course event of 2007 and, ultimately, AJ’s first chance to show the NASCAR crowd what kind of road racer he really is. He must contend with Infineon Raceway’s 11 turns — seven of which can be classified as right-handers.

The pressure is on. Naturally, more is expected of a guy who graduated with a degree in road racing, but Infineon isn’t far from AJ’s suburban San Jose hometown of Los Gatos. This weekend, he’s the hometown hero trying to do good. Red Bull Racing’s No. 84 team has qualified for six-straight races, and AJ’s 31st-place effort at Michigan tied a career-best finish. He climbed to 44th in points and 45th in owner standings.

AJ’s teammate, Brian Vickers, grew up in North Carolina thinking road racing was some foreign art. He did, however, finish 14th in last June’s race at Infineon, and the playing field has been leveled slightly. The Car of Tomorrow returns to action for the first time since Dover.

+ BV BACK IN BUSCH
To recap, Brian Vickers, at a mere 20 years old, won the 2003 Busch Series championship based on three wins, 13 top fives and 21 top 10s in the No. 5 Chevrolet. He’ll return to the series that helped launch his career to compete in two races later this season. In July at Daytona and October at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, BV will drive Braun Racing’s No. 32 Toyota Camry. He’ll team up with Braun regulars Dave Blaney and Jason Leffler.

+ PIT STOP IN TURN SEVEN
The Red Bull Energy Station can provide invited guests tired of Sonoma winery hopping the perfect respite at the race track. Just as it did at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, Red Bull’s high-end version of hospitality will stand loud and proud at Infineon. The two-story structure with viewing terraces outside is climate controlled inside, not to mention a DJ, two full-service beverage bars, 16 flat-screen TVs and oh-so-comfortable furniture. Catch a glimpse of the Red Bull Energy Station in turn seven.

+ QUOTES
Brian Vickers, No. 83 driver - “We did some road-course testing at VIR a few weeks ago, and our cars were really impressive. We were able to turn laps just as fast as some of the best road racers that were testing that day, so that’s a good sign for this weekend considering we’re taking those same cars to Sonoma. We know we’re working with a good package, we just have to turn a good qualifying lap and get ourselves into the race. Until we break into the top 35, qualifying is always our main focus going into a race weekend.”

Doug Richert, No. 83 crew chief - “Our qualifying lap at Infineon is going to be a nail-biter because there are so many turns and opportunities to get off course. One little slip like pushing too hard in the corner can mean we miss the race. One thing we have going for us though is that Brian has a good driving style for road courses. He’s really smooth with the throttle, which is important. We think we’ll be able to pull off a good lap and be in the show for Sunday.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 84 driver - “It will be great to see my family and friends this weekend in California. As far as the race, the main thing I am looking forward to is getting to turn right again. Turning right on an oval isn’t so much fun because it means you are heading for the wall! But road-course racing is what I’ve grown up doing and what I am most comfortable doing. I am nervous about qualifying because you only get one lap to try to make the field. Once I am locked into the race though, I can just relax and do my thing.”

Ricky Viers, No. 84 crew chief - “I know AJ is nervous about this weekend, but I don’t think he has a reason to be. He has a natural talent for road courses, plus we had a good test at VIR last week. I look forward to going to a track where he is somewhat more comfortable and familiar than most other tracks we will visit this season. His experience will work in his favor this weekend.”