After Crash, Vickers Slams Teammate

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:24:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Scott Speed, Red Bull Racing

Get in the groove for today's race with FanHouse Warmup.

Veteran Brian Vickers couldn't have been less of a Red Bull Racing team player during Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while his teammate Scott Speed handled a dicey situation beautifully.

The two Sprint Cup Series teammates tangled while battling Mike Bliss for fourth on the last lap, sending Vickers into the wall. On the cool-down lap, Vickers bumped Speed numerous times in retaliation.

What Vickers said, though, likely will have some lasting repercussions on the team.

"He ran into the back of us," said Vickers. "I don't know if he's frustrated because he's running so bad in the Cup series."

When asked what Speed told him after the two had exchanged words upon exiting their cars, Vickers said Speed explained that Vickers' No. 32 and Bliss' No. 1 machines slowed too quickly in the corner to avoid contact.

"That's not much of an excuse," Vickers said.

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Kyle Busch drives to victory at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Pierre Lasseigne)

LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Brian Vickers, driver of the #32 Dollar General Stores Toyota, leads a group of cars during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, leads Joey Logano, driver of the #20 GameStop/Singularity Toyota, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch;Joey Logano

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Kyle Busch's crew celebrates his victory from the pit wall as Busch burns his tires in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 Scotts/Ortho Ford, leads a group of cars during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carl Edwards

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Kyle Busch (C), driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, celebrates with his team after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Brian Vickers, driver of the #32 Dollar General Stores Toyota, leads Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers;Kyle Busch

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 27: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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Kyle Busch celebrates his victory at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Pierre Lasseigne)

Kyle Busch's crew celebrates his victory at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Pierre Lasseigne)

Television replays, however, seemed to tell a different story for the Sprint Cup teammates that drove for different teams on Saturday. Vickers piloted the No. 32 for Braun Racing while Speed drove the No. 99 for Michael Waltrip Racing.

As the three cars went to turn three on the one-mile flat oval during the final lap, Bliss was on the outside of Vickers with Speed trailing about two car lengths back. As Vickers tried to pass Bliss, he appeared to get loose and slide up the race track. His No. 32 lost momentum at just the moment that Speed appeared to be getting back in throttle.

Speed then nudged the rear of Vickers' Toyota, spinning it into the outside wall. The wreck dropped Speed to an 8th-place finish and Vickers to 12th.

"We all went into the last corner and they just checked up and I couldn't stop in time," said Speed. "Brian's a little bit heated for sure but luckily we're teammates so we'll get to talk it out -- maybe in counseling or something."

After Crash, Vickers Slams Teammate originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vickers Riding High, Eyes Red Bull Win

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:11:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Sprint Cup, Red Bull Racing

It's been a good week to be Brian Vickers.

First, he completed what was likely the first-ever live-action pit stop in New York City's Times Square (gotta love the Red Bull marketing ideas; video here) and then ESPN reported that he had signed a multi-year contract extension with Red Bull Racing.

Friday, he won the pole for the LifeLock 400 and figures to be a huge favorite come Sunday's race.

"We had to make a lot of adjustments during practice," said Vickers. "By the end of practice we were really happy with the car and the final lap in practice I told the guys before I even crossed the line, 'I can't ask anything else out of you, it's up to me.' We were either going to be on the pole or I was going to mess it up."

He didn't mess up.

The No. 83 stormed around the two-mile D-shaped Michigan International Speedway with a lap that averaged 189.110 mph -- faster than his pole-winning speed for the same race a year ago.

Now all that's left is to put the whole puzzle together on Sunday and give the three-year-old Red Bull Racing its first Sprint Cup victory.

"We've had the poles and we've had the fast cars," said Vickers. "We had the car to win here last year, right up to the very end of the race we thought we put ourselves in a great position. A late caution came and we got put back several positions under the last caution."

And several of those spots were a mistake by NASCAR that it later admitted. Had it not been for that, Vickers may have topped Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps of a race that saw his blue No. 83 lead 44 of 203 laps.

A win would just be a final period on string of races both this season and last that Vickers looked strong in but couldn't close out. Just three weeks ago at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Vickers proved to be the only car that could pass Kyle Busch under green flag conditions, but got caught by the final caution for rain that ultimately played into the hands of a gambling David Reutimann.

The rest of the top-5 for Sunday's race include Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Reutimann and Kurt Busch. Point leader Tony Stewart lines up 11th while second-place Jeff Gordon qualified 27th but will start at the tail end of the field after losing an engine during practice.

Vickers Riding High, Eyes Red Bull Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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