 | | Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus are none too happy with Brian Vickers these days. Credit: Autostock |
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
October 8, 2006
10:02 PM EDT (02:02 GMT)
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Much ado has been made of Brian Vickers' relationships with teammates of late. A month ago Jeff Gordon said he was no longer part of the family, then news broke last weekend that he was no longer granted entrance to Hendrick Motorsports' team meetings. Suddenly he was painted as an outcast, grit in the well-oiled HMS machine. It seemed overblown, quite frankly. And if that was indeed the case -- if his standing within the company was indeed exaggerated -- it isn't any longer. If Vickers wasn't embraced as a teammate then, one assumes he can't be now, after wrecking teammate Jimmie Johnson to win the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. "Certainly not," a livid Johnson said Sunday evening. "He's doing a great job of isolating himself." Johnson had worked for some nine laps to set Earnhardt up for a potential race-winning pass on the final lap, but as the field sped down the back straightaway toward Turn 3 Vickers hooked Johnson into Earnhardt, wrecking both. "It's absolutely uncalled for, completely out of line," Johnson said. "I'm racing for a championship, OK? The only way to win [the race] was to crash us both. "I don't think he meant to do it, but he did it. He shouldn't even think about putting any of us in that situation. It's ridiculous."  |  | | Credit: CIA Stock Photo |
| |
| UAW-Ford 500 |
| Unofficial Results |
| Pos. |
Driver |
Make |
| 1. |
Brian Vickers |
Chevy |
| 2. |
Kasey Kahne |
Dodge |
| 3. |
Kurt Busch |
Dodge |
| 4. |
Matt Kenseth |
Ford |
| 5. |
Martin Truex Jr. |
Chevy |
| 6. |
Kevin Harvick |
Chevy |
| 7. |
Jeff Green |
Chevy |
| 8. |
Mark Martin |
Ford |
| 9. |
Carl Edwards |
Ford |
| 10. |
Bobby Labonte |
Dodge |
|
 |
Earnhardt wasn't so harsh, saying he knows the kind of man Vickers is, that there's no way it was purposeful and that he felt quite certain Vickers was remorseful about winning that way. Vickers understands Johnson's frustration, but doesn't apologize. "I would expect him to be a little upset," Vickers said. "He is my friend and teammate and he running for a championship," Vickers said. "He knows just as well as I do that if I hadn't have been bump-drafting, he never would have had a shot to pass Junior. "It is what it is. This is speedway racing. After he sees it, that it wasn't intentional, he knows that is not my driving style." Crew chief Chad Knaus questioned that style. "It wasn't bad judgment, it was lack of talent," Knaus said. "I just don't think he has the talent to understand what he has underneath him." To his credit, Vickers was doing what he felt best: pushing Johnson to the front. He simply misjudged. "He didn't wreck anybody on purpose," Earnhardt said. "I think he was just trying to push the No. 48. He didn't think, 'Oh here's my chance and knock them both out.' He just got excited trying to push the No. 48. I don't think he should lose any points or anything. He was just racing hard there." Too hard? "The 25 car thought he needed to push us another time," Knaus said. "In his mind he did what he thought was best by pushing us past [Earnhardt]. He didn't know what he was doing and ran out of talent there and wrecked us." Though Johnson took a considerable points hit, Vickers will rest easily Sunday evening. He'd do it again. "I would not have changed anything," Vickers said. "My aggression had to do with the fact that [Johnson] wanted to get by [Earnhardt]. He was not going to pass [Earnhardt] by himself. "We were trying to finish 1-2 for Hendrick. It was an accident and had nothing to do with the fact that I am leaving." The opinions expressed are solely of the writer. | 
