Brian Vickers glad distraction of contract is behind him as he seeks Chase spot
Red Bull Racing's Brian Vickers is 13th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading into Saturday's race at Bristol Motor Speedway. // LaDon George, NASCAR Scene
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Red Bull Racing’s Brian Vickers has a new trophy for his trophy case and a new contract.
It’s been a pretty good week to say the least.
Vickers doesn’t believe the contract was the result of the victory at Michigan Interational Speedway on Sunday, but he’s happy it’s done, especially considering he is 13th in the Sprint Cup Series standings and just 12 points behind 12th-place Mark Martin. Only three races remain until the 12-driver Chase For The Sprint field is set.
And Vickers enters those three races not only with the momentum of the win, but with that new multiyear contract, which he signed two days after the Michigan victory.
“I’m definitely happy to get it behind us, whatever we decided, just because I feel like it has been a distraction,” Vickers said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I definitely didn’t want it to be a distraction while we’re trying to race for the Chase.
“I really believe the two were kind of separate from each other. The win was fantastic. Most of the issues that they needed to resolve internally I think were resolved prior to that.”
Vickers said he had agreed to terms of a contract last October to remain at Red Bull, an organization that entered Sprint Cup racing along with Toyota in 2007. Vickers was the first driver hired by the team.
“When I went to Red Bull, I felt like it was a place that I could call home or I wouldn’t have went there,” Vickers said. “But you never know what the future holds and you never know how it’s going to work out, especially with a new organization.
“I’m happy we worked things out. Obviously, I wanted to find a home wherever that may be, and right now I just feel like it’s Red Bull, and I’m glad we’ll be able to continue.”
Vickers failed to qualify for 13 events in 2007 and finished 38th in the standings. He qualified for all 36 races last year but managed only three top-five finishes on his way to being 19th in points.
But this year he had six poles and has been a Chase contender all season. He had three top-five finishes before notching that first Red Bull win and the second victory of his career.
“There were a lot of points throughout the past couple of years where I felt like we had a lot of potential, but we were never able to put it all together,” Vickers said. “I’m really excited that we were able to put everything together and finally capture that win.
“We had captured a lot of poles, but until you actually get there, it’s just not the same. It’s the same for the Chase, I know we’re capable of doing it but until we get in the Chase, it doesn’t really matter.”
The win at Michigan on Sunday was different than Vickers’ first win, where he had contact with then-Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson on his way to the Talladega triumph.
“The race win was very special for myself and everyone involved,” Vickers said. “My first win was bittersweet because of the incident that involved Jimmie. I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I liked. Jimmie was one of my friends.
“This one was different. I was able to really enjoy it. [Former HMS teammates] Jimmie and Jeff [Gordon] and Casey Mears came to victory lane. They’re some of my closest friends and that meant a lot to me.”
Vickers now is ready to get off the excitement of the last four days and create new excitement that will last over the final three months of the season.
“The past couple of days have been very exciting, but now it’s time to refocus on Bristol,” Vickers said. “We still have a lot ahead of us. We still want to win more races and we’ve got to get in the Chase.”
