Catchfence

Who: Scott Speed (82 Red Bull Toyota), Brian Vickers (83 Red Bull Toyota)
What: Russ Friedman 400 (Sprint Cup), Richmond 250 (Nationwide)
When: Friday-Saturday, May 1-2, 2009
Where: Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.

NSCS Red Bull Racing Teams No. 82 & No. 83

+ PLATES SERVE UP MOMENTUM

Red Bull Racing Team’s two Toyotas competed in the same Sprint Cup race for the 53rd time Sunday at Talladega, and it was the best combined result in three years of history.

Scott Speed finished a career-high fifth in the No. 82, and teammate Brian Vickers’ No. 83 backed that up with an eighth-place run in the Aaron’s 499. To13, which beats Vickers and AJ Allmendinger’s second- and 12th-place combo lJune at Pocono.

“We feel good where we’re at right now,” said Elton Sawyer, the team’s director of competition. “Talladega, even though there’s all the variables that come with restrictor-plate racing, for sure gives us some momentum.”

On to Richmond. Speed’s never raced at the .75-mile oval, but Vickers has nine starts there. He debuted by winning his first Sprint Cup pole in May 2004, and finished eighth in the race. His top showing with Red Bull Racing Team is 24th in September 2007.

“We felt good after Phoenix — Scott qualified a solid 18th and BV in the top five,” Sawyer said, noting the similarities between Phoenix and Richmond. “We learned a lot from what we potentially had a Phoenix. The cars ran well even though the results didn’t show it. And that’s encouraging heading into Richmond.”

Speed’s No. 82 ranks 36th in the car owner standings (18 points from the top 35), while Vickers is only 68 points from the top 12.

+ SPEED’S TWO-CAR GARAGE

It’s been four off. Now it’s four on for Scott Speed, who returns to Nationwide Series action at Richmond after a month away.

Speed’s last race in Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 99 Red Bull Toyota came March 21 at Bristol when he finished eighth. Friday night’s 250-lapper at Richmond is the first of four straight Nationwide races for Speed.

He and the No. 99 also are scheduled for Darlington, Charlotte and Dover.

- Red Bull Racing Team Press Release