Wednesday
Scott Speed, Brian Vickers, 2009 AMP Energy 500 NSCS Race Previews
Press Release
What: Talladega 500 (Sprint Cup)
When: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009
Where: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
+ THE UNKNOWN IN ALABAMA
The uncertainty of Talladega might be the best thing for Brian Vickers these days, because one thing is certain — BV’s had some bad luck in the Chase.
Other than Sunday’s 11th-place finish at Martinsville — easily BV and the No. 83’s best performance in the six Chase races so far — it’s been a struggle in NASCAR’s postseason. But what looms ahead is Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, a track where anything can happen. And for Vickers, going to Talladega might be the best medicine to cure a six-week hangover.
Vickers’ first Sprint Cup victory came at Talladega in October 2006, and he has three top-five and five top-10 finishes there.
“The track’s treated me well and treated this team well,” Vickers said. “We’re excited to go back, but it’s still Talladega. You can’t let your guard down. A lot of things can happen there that are out of your control. You just do your part the best you can and hope the rest of it avoids you.”
At Martinsville, Vickers’ No. 83 Red Bull Toyota started 24th and hung around the top 10 throughout the 500 laps, but after an average finish of 23.3 in the first five Chase races, 11th at the checkered flag will do. Entering one of his better tracks and the site of one of two victories, BV ranks 12th in the standings. He’s 91 points behind 11th-place Kasey Kahne and 117 behind Carl Edwards in 10th.
Teammate Scott Speed is considered a rookie, but is no stranger to Talladega.
After leaving Formula One, Speed’s first stock car start came at Talladega in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in October 2007. He started and finished seventh in that race and six months later went on for his first top-five finish in Sprint Cup. Speed evaded Carl Edwards’ now famous touchdown and became the first rookie to finish in the top five in the spring Talladega race since Kurt Busch ran third in 2001.
“There are certain key things about the draft,” Speed said, “how the air goes over the car and if you put your car in this place or that place, but other than that there’s so much that you learn just by experiencing and doing it.”
+ INFIELD TRICK-OR-TREAT
Scott Speed, driver, No. 82: “We like to embrace the Halloween spirit. We look forward to trick-or-treaters at Talladega. What a great place to have Halloween this year.”
Brian Vickers, driver, No. 83: “Dracula was my favorite Halloween costume as a child. I’m not sure if I’m going to dress up this year. I’m sure the Talladega infield will be pretty interesting on Halloween night, though. I guess I could go undercover wearing a mask to see what all is going on… you never know!”
- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release
Article Tags: AMP Energy 500, Brian Vickers, NASCAR, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NSCS, Red Bull Racing Team, Scott Speed, Talladega Superspeedway, TSS
