 | | Brian Vickers shares a minute with Usher before Saturday's Nextel Open. Credit: Autostock |
May 25, 2006
03:19 PM EDT (19:19 GMT)
Brian Vickers is back at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. His best finish in NASCAR's longest race was a 15th-place run in 2004. It is, however, important to note that Vickers led 98 laps in last year's event before a crash 21 laps from the end relegated him to a 31st-place finish. Being from Thomasville, N.C., Lowe's Motor Speedway is also his home track, and where he made his Nextel Cup debut for Hendrick Motorsports in October 2003 behind the wheel of the No. 60 Chevrolet. Q: What do you do to take advantage of being at home these two race weekends? -- GMACKatie, Parts Unknown Vickers: Given the magnitude of race weeks in Charlotte, there's always plenty going on and it's a very busy time. Other than being able to sleep in our beds for two weeks, racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May is very similar to a normal weekend with a race weekend in terms of what needs to be accomplished. I still have obligations to our sponsors, the race team and my staff and our offices at HMS and Thomasville, N.C. When I can, I'll try to find some time to hang out with friends, maybe go to dinner with them. The normal stuff, you know? Q: Have you ever thought about running some races in the Craftsman Truck Series? -- several users Vickers: Right now, I am comfortable with focusing on my Cup career and running a limited Busch Series schedule. The Busch Series provides us with additional opportunities to work with our existing sponsors and as a former champion, I feel like I have a vested interest there. The specs for both series are very similar these days as well, which does provide us with some feedback when I run the Busch events. I have eight Busch races confirmed for 2006 and those are sponsored by two of my Cup team sponsors -- Ore-Ida and Mountain Dew. I'd also like to run the Watkins Glen event, so HMS and I are working on arrangements for that one, too. As far as other series, I'd like to eventually be able to compete in some events in the Truck Series and the road racing/endurance series interest me. Q: What time do you or the other drivers have to wake up on the day of the race? Do you have a time limit or do you just wake up whenever but still having time to get ready for the race. -- Jenna, Parts Unknown Vickers: It all depends on what time the race is. If it's an early-afternoon race, say 1 o'clock, that means the mandatory driver/crew chief meeting is held at 11 a.m. Prior to that we typically always have hospitality obligations for our sponsors to take part in and when I get up depends mostly on how many appearances we have on race morning. I think it's fair to say on average I'll get up at 8 a.m., eat a good breakfast and get ready for the rest of the day. If the race is scheduled for later in the afternoon or evening, everything gets backed up, based upon the start time. Q: What are your thoughts about how the Coke 600 will go with the new pavement, tires and fuel cells? -- Matt, Albany, Ga. Vickers: Goodyear did what they had to do to make a tire last. Maybe it's a little too hard, but they're playing the smart card, giving us a quality tire that they know will make it the entire run. It's just something we all have to deal with. The smaller fuel cells will make for an interesting race. Getting on and off pit road under green-flag conditions without getting into trouble will be extremely important. As many times as we're going to have to pit, there's bound to be a few problems. Pit strategy will be key. With the tire as hard as it is and built to run six times the distance the fuel cell will allow, you may see guys taking on fuel only several stops in a row. The race could go two ways. You may see caution flags come out for guys trying to get onto pit road real fast or, more than likely, you'll see the field get strung out like we normally do during green-flag pit sequences. I don't think we'll see a lack of cautions. Q: Do you think the Nextel Cup Series season is too long? -- several users Vickers: It can seem long at times, but what makes it challenging is how the off weekends are spaced out. Look at this year's Nextel Cup Series schedule, for example. Two of the three weekend's without racing happened in the first eight races of the season. The next off week for the teams will be the weekend of July 29 and 30. From there, it's 16 weeks in a row until the end. That makes it tough for everyone in the sport, particularly those with families. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but I'd be content racing year-round if the there were a couple of more breaks in the schedule and they were more evenly spaced out. | 
