Brian Vickers angry with Cup teammate Scott Speed over last-lap Nationwide wreck
Braun Racing's Brian Vickers (right) talks with NASCAR Sprint Cup teammate Scott Speed after Saturday's Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. // Jeff Velte, �NASCAR Scene
LOUDON, N.H. – Red Bull Racing teammates Brian Vickers and Scott Speed aren’t teammates in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. And it looked like it Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Speed got into the back of Vickers on the final lap of the Camping World RV Sales 200, sending Vickers into the wall. On the cool-down lap, Vickers tapped the rear of Speed’s car and then it appeared as if Speed brake-checked Vickers and they made more contact.
Vickers got out of his Braun Racing car and walked over to talk to Speed, who drives for Michael Waltrip Racing in the Nationwide Series.
“I don’t know what his deal was,” Vickers said. “He wrecked us. … He said that we slowed down going in the corner and I said, ‘No [expletive].’”
NASCAR officials will review the post-race bumping by Vickers and decide if there will be any penalties next week – although this most likely would be considered different than when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears bumped into each other after the Cup race at Phoenix because Mears spun as a result of his postrace contact.
“It’s a shame,” Vickers said. “We had a really good run going. I don’t know what happened. He just drove in way over his head and wrecked us.”
Speed was running sixth while Vickers was fifth at the time of the incident. Speed finished eighth while Vickers came in 12th.
“We all went into the corner and everyone started to check up,” Speed said. “Brian slowed up more than I could and we both went up the track. I couldn’t stop on time. It was unfortunate for both of us because we were both going to have better finishing positions.”
