It wasn't Jeff Gordon but the lurking Jimmie Johnson who out-raced Brian Vickers. Credit: Autostock

Winless Vickers comes up short again at 'Dega

Third-year driver says he's getting no pressure from owner

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- With one lap to go at Talladega or Daytona, it is every man for himself, and Brian Vickers knew it.

Vickers, winless in the Nextel Cup Series, came within a lap of victory on Monday, losing the lead to Jimmie Johnson in the tri-oval with less than a minute to go in the race.

Jimmie Johnson celebrates his second consecutive restrictor-plate victory. Credit: Autostock

Official Results Aaron's 499 Pos. Driver Make 1. J. Johnson Chevrolet 2. T. Stewart Chevrolet 3. B. Vickers Chevrolet 4. J. Burton Chevrolet 5. J. McMurray Ford • Complete results, click here • Driver standings, click here Victory LaneJimmie Johnson celebrates his first Talladega victory Final lapsSeveral drivers have a chance to win down the stretch Top finishersStewart and Vickers talk about thier near wins Multi-car wreckFourteen cars are collected in a Lap 9 wreck Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836 SUPERSTORE •   Brian Vickers merchandise!

Vickers wound up third -- a season-high -- but it was the second consecutive Talladega race Vickers had lost in the closing laps. He also was agonizingly close here last fall -- he led late and finished sixth.

But on Monday, Vickers came even closer. Driving the best superspeedway car crew chief Lance McGrew had ever given him, Vickers led seven laps and ran in the top 10 all day.

Monday's race was lost when Vickers was beaten head-to-head by teammate Jimmie Johnson, who dove low to pass Vickers in the tri-oval heading to the white flag.

With Vickers keeping both eyes focused on the rearview mirror, he saw Johnson move his Chevrolet high, and he guessed that Johnson would remain high.

He was wrong.

"At 200 mph, when someone has a run like that, it is a split-second decision," Vickers said. "You have got to read their mind. You have a 50-50 shot at it.

"Even then, if you check up and they drill you, you are still in trouble. It is tough but you make your decisions at the time for a reason."

With passing at Talladega easier than ever, Johnson didn't have the option of helping to protect Vickers' lead, and Vickers said he didn't want to win it that way.

"It is easy for me to say, 'Jimmie, why did you pass me,' but I can't hold a grudge," Vickers said. "If he didn't try, I wouldn't have respected that. If they help me, great, but if not, I am not going to hold it against them."

Johnson said he knew right away that he was taking a win away with his move in the tri-oval.

"I wouldn't say [I regret it], but when things cycle out, you time [it] to lead at the last lap," Johnson said. "I didn't regret it but I feel for him. He is going to have plenty of wins in the near future."

Vickers: No pressure from Hendrick

Vickers is only 22 years old, but he already is a veteran of 86 Nextel Cup starts. Even so, he has been shut out of Victory Lane, instead watching as his Hendrick Motorsports teammates racked up multi-win seasons in 2005.

The closest Vickers has come to victory was last June at Pocono, when he led 121 laps before fading to a second-place finish.

Since Vickers is in his third Nextel Cup season, there has been speculation that he is in the final year of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports, which would leave him available to drive for another team or manufacturer in 2007.

"As far as the contract situation, there is no way anyone can know what year we are in," Vickers said.

"I don't feel any pressure. Rick [Hendrick] has made that clear."