Brian Vickers will get a lot of television time during the Chase. Credit: Craig Jones/Getty Images

Conversation: Vickers

Rising star talks about his success, his music and his new job

FONTANA, Calif. -- Even though he's not competing for a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Brian Vickers may be feeling comparable pressure these days.

Starting Sept. 12, Vickers will become a regular contributor on SPEED channel's weekly Inside Nextel Cup show. His recent performance on the track suggests that he'll know what he's talking about. Vickers' recent successes even prompted NBC/TNT pit reporter Matt Yocum to proclaim on the air that Vickers will visit Victory Lane twice between now and the end of the 2005 season.

	Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Brian Vickers' progression in the Nextel Cup Series Year Starts Wins T-5s T-10s 2003 5 0 0 0 2004 36 0 0 4 2005 25 0 5 9 Total 66 0 5 13

Just after he qualified ninth for the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway, Vickers sat down with NASCAR.COM's Mark Spoor over a plate of pasta to discuss his new job, his recent run of success and a surprising artist that currently occupies space on his IPod.

Q: So you're going to be an analyst on Inside Nextel Cup?

Vickers: "An analyst" sounds pretty technical for what I'm going to be doing, probably. I'm gonna be ... I guess an analyst -- I don't know to what extent. I'm excited about it. SPEED channel does some awesome shows and Inside Nextel Cup is one of them and it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a great gig.

Q: How'd it come about?

Vickers: The people at Inside Nextel Cup came to us. We talked about it. It seemed like a neat opportunity and we were interested in doing it. It's a 10-race deal and we'll see where it goes from there.

Q: I realize this is a long way off, but is this laying the groundwork for when you're done racing?

Vickers: No. Not at all. I don't want to have anything to do with TV when I retire.

Q: Why's that?

Vickers: I don't know. It's OK and part of the sport. It can be fun at times, but it's not what I want to do. When I retire from racing, I want to retire from racing and being an announcer is not it.

I have nothing against the drivers that retire and do that. That's awesome; it's just not me. You know, 15 years from now I might change my mind, but now I don't see that happening.

Q: Speaking of TV, during the Bristol broadcast, NBC/TNT pit reporter Matt Yocum said that you guys were going to win two races by the end of this season. Did you hear about that comment?

Vickers: I have. Somebody said something to me today. Benny Parsons came by and said, "pressure's on." I like that kind of pressure. That's cool. I appreciate Matt Yocum having that confidence in us, you know, this team and I'm pumped about proving him right, hopefully.

Q: You guys have run really well the past couple of months. What's been the difference?

Vickers: It's just the chemistry with the team -- the team itself. Hendrick Motorsports is awesome, right now. Great leadership. Great team. You know, these guys are doing an awesome job. We had to build all new cars. It just wasn't going to happen overnight, for this team to come together. And I think it has come together the past 10 or 15 races. It's proven. You've seen it.

Q: If somebody came to you and said you could pick which track you're going to get your first win at, which track would you pick?

Vickers hoisted the Busch Series title in 2003. Credit: Autostock

Vickers: This weekend would be great! I don't care where it is, but if I had to pick a racetrack, Indianapolis would probably be at the top of the list. Daytona and Darlington would be close, as well. Those three tracks would be special. I could go down the list.

Charlotte, being my home track in North Carolina would be cool, but there's almost 100 years of history at Indianapolis and to be part of that would be special and Daytona is the same way with 50 years -- or whatever it is at Daytona -- worth of history. That would be special.

Q: What's one thing that no one knows -- or very few people know -- about you?

Vickers: I can shoot under 80 in golf.

Q: You can shoot under 80?

Vickers: Yeah. I don't know why I said that. I don't know what else to say, really.

Q: I saw something about scuba diving on your Web site.

Vickers: I love scuba diving. We were talking about this question actually earlier today and someone asked me to tell them something that was on my IPod that people wouldn't know and I said Frank Sinatra. Maybe that's something people wouldn't know.

Q: What is it about Frank Sinatra that you like?

Vickers: I don't know. I just have always enjoyed his music. My grandparents played it a lot and that's a classic. He was the best of his time for a reason and you've got to appreciate that. He's good.

There's a lot of things that people wouldn't know about me. The fact that I enjoy golf.

Q: Have you played golf all your life?

Vickers: I've played a lot over the years. I've always enjoyed it. Most people don't think of golf and racing as two sports that go together. They're two extreme opposites, but I love it. I don't know. I've always enjoyed it. It takes a lot of mental concentration and so does racing.

Q: Back to music for a second. Someone told me you're running a Green Day paint scheme at Richmond. You a big Green Day fan?

Vickers: Oh yeah. They've got some really cool music. One thing I like about Green Day is that they can do a mix of different things, you know. Not all their songs sound the same. When they mix it up, it still sounds good.

It's hard to find a band that you can buy a CD and like the whole thing. Just let it play. And Green Day is one of those bands that have come out with CDs that you can do that with.