TEAM RED BULL
POCONO RACEWAY
POCONO 500 ADVANCE

ENTRIES: Red Bull No. 83 Brian Vickers and Red Bull No. 84 AJ Allmendinger
RACE: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, “Pocono 500”
TRACK: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA
DATES: June 8-10, 2007

+ BRIAN KNOWS HIS SHAPES
Pocono, though flat, is not slow. Pocono, a healthy 2.5 miles in length, is not a track where you just floor it and go. And Pocono, where shifting was once required, is known to make engines blow. So mysterious is the Pocono Triangle that some stock cars enter and are never heard from again.

Pocono Raceway, a triangle-shaped track nestled in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, can cause splitting headaches for anyone involved in making a Nextel Cup car go fast. It has three distinct turns, the longest straightaway in NASCAR and a short chute. Gaining speed in one corner means critical tenths are lost in another.

But Brian Vickers, Red Bull Racing’s driver of the No. 83, discovered the elusive balance. For a 23-year-old in his fourth season in Nextel Cup, BV’s stats at Pocono are shiny. In six starts, Brian has never rolled off outside the top 10, nor has he finished worse than 14th. His average start is 4.5; his average finish 8.5. In this race two Junes ago driving the No. 25 Chevrolet, Brian finished second and led a race-high 121 laps.

Pocono also plays into the skill set of No. 84 driver AJ Allmendinger, who, as a road racer by trade, is used to navigating unique corners.

+ QUOTES
Brian Vickers, driver, No. 83 - “Pocono is known for being an odd-shaped race track because it’s shaped like a triangle. You can’t even say it’s similar to any other track we race on because it’s just so unique. It’s a difficult track to find a balance that works well for all three turns. I like the challenge though, and I’ve always seemed to race well at Pocono. I’ve led a lot of laps there and have come close to winning, but haven’t quite got the win there yet. Maybe this will be our weekend.”

Doug Richert, crew chief, No. 83 - “I’ve had some really good runs at Pocono in the past couple years, and I know Brian has, too, so I think we’ll be a good combination to tackle the tricky triangle. We’re going there with our intermediate package with the car of today, which we think will be a good package for us. We just need to get a good-handling car there, and I’m sure Brian will have no problem driving the wheels off the 83.”

AJ Allmendinger, driver, No. 84 - “Well, I dominated Pocono last night in my SIM Racing league. Hopefully, I can get around it as well in a Cup car this weekend. Everyone has told me that Pocono drives like a road course because each turn is so different. My first laps around the track should be interesting. I’m definitely up for the challenge. We are bringing a good car this weekend, and my crew is optimistic that I can catch onto this track quickly.”

Ricky Viers, crew chief, No. 84 - “I have a lot of nice memories from Pocono throughout the years, including a win with Harry Gant. I haven't been there in 8 years - the last time was with Ward Burton in 1998 - but the track hasn't changed a lot. NASCAR has changed the gear rule and the driver's do not shift anymore, but its still the same old racetrack. I think AJ will adapt quickly to it. The 3 turns are all very different. We are going to approach it like a 3-turn road course, which should fit well with AJ's driving style."