 | | Brian Vickers won last season's Nextel Open. Credit: Autostock |
May 17, 2006
10:45 AM EDT (14:45 GMT)
Brian Vickers heads to the friendly confines of Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday for Nextel All-Star Challenge weekend. Last season, Vickers got in the big show by winning the Nextel Open. Once there, he finished third. If Vickers is to be in this year's All-Star Challenge, he must again win the Open. Q: How many driver's suits do you typically use per race weekend? -- Nicole, Huntersville, N.C. Vickers: Typically, I will wear three uniforms during a normal race weekend which consists of practice and qualifying on Friday, practice on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Simply put, I will wear one uniform per day of track activity. Once the transporter returns to the shop, all of the crew uniforms and mine are sent off to the dry cleaners to be cleaned for the next race. Q: With winning the Nextel Open, finishing third in the all-star race, and nearly winning the Coca Cola 600 last year, how do you feel your chances are to back those performances up this season? -- several users Vickers: I'm excited for the two weeks in Charlotte. The Open is a tough race to win, but we've done it before and I think we can do it again. We've had some real good cars as of late, but have had on-track incidents that prevented us from getting good finishes. This is the race last year where things really started to click for our team and helped us to begin to string together a solid three months or so. We're looking for the same beginning at Lowe's on Saturday night. Q: I was wondering if you have been to all 50 states? And if not, what state would you like to visit the most? Thanks and good luck with the rest of the year. -- Jillian, Baton Rouge, La. Vickers: I think I've been to just about every state with the exception being Alaska. I've heard great things about Alaska and eventually I'd like to go and check it out when I get the chance. Q: How do you guys, as NASCAR drivers, keep from getting such huge egos like other famous athletes, especially when a lot of you are so young? You all treat your fans with respect, and that is why I think NASCAR is such a huge sport now. -- Lynds, Minn. Vickers: I can't speak for other drivers, but a lot of it has to do with my upbringing. My parents were and still are the biggest influences in my life. The guidance they provided to me when I was younger has remained with me and helped to shape the kind of person I am. I'm very grateful to be doing what I love and have the opportunity I do. Along with that comes responsibility to represent our sponsors in a positive manner and treat fans the way they should be treated. The fans are the ones who come out by the thousands every week to support us in what we love to do. Q: What do you do during rain delays -- several users Vickers: Rain-delay activities depend upon how long the delay is. Sometimes I head back to the pit and hang out if it's going to be a brief stoppage and other times I'll go back to the hauler, hang out with the team and watch some TV. If it's going to be a long delay, I'll return to the motorhome to hang out, maybe check e-mail, get something to eat, watch some TV or play some video games. During our last rain delay at Talladega, I went back to the motorhome and played Xbox games. | 
