Conversation: Brian Vickers

Since joining Hendrick Motorsports for the 2003 season, Brian Vickers has wasted no time making a mark in the NASCAR Busch Series behind the wheel of the No. 5 GMAC Chevrolet.

Vickers, 19, of Thomasville, N.C., cut his teeth in the Hooters ProCup Series and with a family-owned Busch Series team.

A little over halfway through the season, all that's left for Vickers is to win his first career Busch race. This season, he is fifth in the standings -- only 124 points out of first -- with six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.

While driving to Pikes Peak International Raceway for last Saturday's TrimSpa 250, Vickers talked with NASCAR.com's Dave Rodman about his racing style, his racing heroes and growing up in a racing hotbed.

	Credit: Autostock

Q: What has been the most eye-opening aspect of your first season with Hendrick Motorsports?

Brian Vickers: I'll tell you what, this whole year, and this opportunity with Hendrick Motorsports has been incredible. To come from 42nd in the points at the start of the year to as high as third is unbelievable. This Hendrick organization has been unreal, and that's been the biggest eye-opener for me.

The resources, the personnel and their commitment are what make such a difference from our family team. My father and his partner gave me everything in the world they could to race with. But it's real easy to see why they (Hendrick Motorsports) win championships and races. Mr. (Rick) Hendrick is just an awesome individual and his class comes through in everything throughout the organization.

We've had bad luck and good luck, and it's these guys on my team that makes the difference. They are behind me 100 percent. The teamwork in this organization is unreal. With a lot of organizations, the drivers hate each other and the crew chiefs don't get along.

We help out the Cup guys whenever we can, and if Jeff Gordon finds out something in a test session, he gives it to everyone across the board.

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Q: Are you able to drive easier and more calmly, yet go quicker than you did in your family cars?

Brian Vickers: You still have to push it to the edge to go fast, no matter what you're driving. At Hendrick's, the cars are better, the people are phenomenal and the set-ups are always good. But maybe you don't have to be as overly aggressive as I used to be.

To run up front and to run for points you've got to drive hard -- all the time. You've got to go to the edge of the limit every lap, every week, to compete. Maybe it's easier to know you have good stuff, but you're still on the edge, all the time.

Q: Given your short track background, but with the success you've had on a variety of tracks this season, what would you describe as your favorite type track, and why?

Brian Vickers: I don't know that I really have what I would call a favorite type of track. But I like tracks that are different, and challenging. Darlington is definitely at the top of the list.

The track is old, and it has character and a personality all its own. It will suck you in and chew you up in a heartbeat, and I like that. We have too many tracks these days that are the same at each end, and personally, they just don't do it for me.

I feel real comfortable, and confident on a super-fast mile-and-half like Texas, or Atlanta. Running off into the corner wide open at a track like that is such an adrenalin rush. Those are fun.

I even like the superspeedways. Qualifying and practicing is boring as all get-out, but when you get three- and four-wide in the races, it's a wonder there aren't more big ones than there are, and that's frustrating.

	Credit: Autostock

When you're running three-wide, drafting along a foot apart and you have no idea what's next -- that's exhilarating. TV doesn't do it justice. I never dreamed you have to drive those cars as much as you do because the turbulence is unreal.

Really, there's none I don't like (tracks). There's just some I like more than others.

Q: Your racing heroes are a diverse group of individuals, including stock car drivers and Formula One legends. Did you know what you wanted to do at a young age?

Brian Vickers: Yeah, some of my heroes are (F1 drivers) Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, but I also have Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, the Pettys and the Labonte brothers -- because I grew up really in the same neighborhood where they lived.

I just love racing (and) I'm a fan of racing in general. I couldn't name one football player. I never went to any high school football or basketball games, even though I tried all the sports as I was growing up. Fortunately, my mom and dad supported me in whatever I wanted to do, and when I tried (kart) racing, it was over -- racing was it.

The older I got, the more I appreciated what the sport was all about. I watched it more and learned what went into excelling in it. A lot of the Senna and Prost battles were on tape, but a lot of it I saw live. My dad watched a lot of it with me.

Q: Do you have much interest in trying another form of racing?

Brian Vickers: My loyalty is to Hendrick Motorsports and stock cars. Stock cars are fun, close racing and incredible competition. Formula One, though, is pretty awesome, but right now nowhere else in the racing industry matches Winston Cup.

Having said that, if McLaren or Williams BMW said, "We want you to drive for us," it would be a struggle to decide to leave Hendrick Motorsports. But the likelihood of that happening is small, even though it is an intriguing possibility. But my first passion is stock car racing.

Could we at Hendrick Motorsports engineer and work on a Formula One type car? Absolutely. I shook down Jeff's (Gordon) car on the road course at Indy and talked a lot to (Formula One driver) Juan Montoya. Ken Howes (in the technical end of Hendrick Motorsports) is one of my heroes because he's been involved in lot of aspects of racing, including Formula One, and we talk about that all the time.

It takes a different fan to appreciate Formula One racing. A.J. Foyt and Mario (Andretti) are some more of my heroes because of what they were able to accomplish in so many different venues, including stock cars.

	Credit: Autostock

Q: You have shown no fear or hesitation in racing with the Winston Cup drivers that compete in the Busch Series, as you did with Matt Kenseth at New Hampshire. Do you relish the opportunity to compete against them?

Brian Vickers: Absolutely, I do. To ultimately race against them in the Winston Cup Series is what I want to do. I like to race those guys, and I want them to come down and race with us as much as they can.

There are guys that have a problem with understanding how to race you hard and at the same time, clean. Matt Kenseth is a good driver and he can race you hard, and race you clean. If we had been racing for the win at New Hampshire it might have been a different story, but you've got to be smart about it.

If I tried too hard or was too aggressive there, instead of having another good points day we might have both ended up wrecked out of the race. If it was at Miami and I was racing for the championship, it might be different, but you always have to see the bigger picture.

Q: If you had to give any advice to a young driver trying to come up through the system, what would it be?

Brian Vickers: It would be to make sure you have the desire and the dedication to do this, and to make a total commitment to it. I think you need to decide whatever it is you want to do -- whether it's racing or whatever it might be -- and just do it.

If racing is what you want to do, you need to decide that and start to do it as soon as possible. And you have to make the commitment to not do anything halfway. You have to keep your head on straight and you've got to be able to focus. If a skirt comes by you have to have the commitment to continue to do what you need to do.

God and family and friends are my priorities, but racing is my deal and I have managed to stick with it.

	Credit: Autostock

Q: You grew up in the same town with Terry Labonte's son, Justin. How close are you with him and do you communicate with him about getting back into the Busch Series?

Brian Vickers: We went to the same school, and he used to drive me and (Labonte's younger sister) Kristen to school. We grew up in the same neighborhood, but now, I'm never at home.

We have not had much of a chance to talk about what I'm doing, so I don't know how he feels about it. Justin is a good person and I think he's got what it takes to succeed in this sport.

He's winning (Late Model Stock Car) races and leading the points at Caraway Speedway. I think if he could get in with a good owner in a good car he could really show what he could do. If people have a good background and a good upbringing they support you and wish you success and I think Justin is that kind of person.

Q: You say you commute back and forth from home to the shop a lot. Are you there every day and what do you do?

Brian Vickers: I'm there most days. It's a big organization and everybody has their job to do. I'm the driver, and that's what I'm primarily responsible for. Everyone at our organization can be a little more specialized -- there's no one guy that has to feel like he has to do it all.

I have to do media appearances, autograph sessions and meetings with our sponsors, and that consumes most of my time. I have to spend a certain amount of time staying in shape, which you have to do at this level.

When I'm in the shop, well, Hendrick Motorsports has more than 500 employees. Not all of them are involved with my car and my team, but a lot of them are. I try to go and talk to as many of them as I can.

It means a lot to them that I would make that effort and it means a lot to me to know these guys, to know what their function is. Whether it's talking to the guys in the engine shop to let them know how their stuff is working, or the guys in the fabrication shop talking about bodies, I'm only too glad to do it.

A lot of my time, besides doing media stuff, I'll spend working on comfort stuff in the cockpits of the cars. Sometimes we'll work on putting in seats. All in all, it takes up all of your time but gives you a pretty good handle on what everyone is faced with.

When we ran our own team, I spent every day turning wrenches and working on the cars. If I had to take one of these cars apart and put it back together I could do that as well as any one of these guys (mechanics). I understand the cars and I think that works in my favor.