Brian Vickers Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief For decades drivers from all around the world have been enamored with the Indianapolis 500, more specifically, NASCAR drivers. Many of whom grew up hoping one day to compete in the historic event. Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch are just some of the notable names that have competed in the Indy 500. Busch made his IndyCar debut two years ago in the 2014 race at the Brickyard, starting 12th and finishing an impressive sixth en route to winning Indianapolis 500Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It was a wild afternoon at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, which saw Jimmie Johnson surge past Kevin Harvick on a late restart to win the Auto Club 400. Here are the five takeaways from Sunday’s race at the 2-mile oval. 1) Kevin continues Auto Club collapse Heading into Sunday’s Sprint Cup race the driver that led the most laps failed to win five of the last six races, Harvick made it six of seven after failing to find Victory Lane in Fontana. It isRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Austin Dillon delivered a parting shot that turned out to be a called shot. After taking questions from reporters after Friday’s opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway, Dillon paused to watch the last minute of Middle Tennessee State’s upset victory over Michigan State in the NCAA basketball tournament. On his way out the door, Dillon was asked about his prospects for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX) at the two-mile track. “Ask me tomorrowRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Writer Ahead of Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the debut of the low downforce package at the track, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers took to the track for two test sessions on Thursday. The first test session went incident free, with Jimmie Johnson laying down the fastest lap at 192.981 mph (27.982 seconds), followed by Daytona 500 winner, Denny Hamlin, just .020 seconds behind in second. Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, and Danica Patrick rounded out the top-five in the first sessionRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Ty Dillon’s work load tripled this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With Dillon tabbed as the substitute driver for injured Tony Stewart for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event (1 p.m. ET on FOX), Dillon will be battling for 500 miles in addition to the 250 he’ll run in Saturday’s Heads Up Georgia 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1). But to Dillon, the opportunity to race in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas RacingRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Most of the time, when an athlete talks about a “team victory,” it’s nothing more than a sports cliché. But Denny Hamlin’s win in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway—by the closest margin in the history of the Great American Race—was a testament to the strength and solidarity of the Toyota teams of Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing, a JGR affiliate. In a wild last lap at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Hamlin moved into the outside lane inRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway ended with a mere handful of cars undamaged—and race winner Denny Hamlin’s Toyota wasn’t one of them. But Hamlin got his wreck out of the way early in a two-car incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Ford on Lap 13 and won the race in overtime with a large swatch of silver tape on the right side of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry. Hamlin triumphed in the season-opening non-points event for theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief After battling his own health issues the past several years, Brian Vickers is set for a golden opportunity in replacement duty for an injured Tony Stewart. Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Friday that Vickers will run the Sprint Unlimited (a non-points event) Saturday night, and the 58th annual Daytona 500. Vickers, 32, has seen his promising career derailed with a series of health issues that date back to 2010. However, after missing all but opening two races last season, the battle-tested North Carolina native has overcome aRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – To say that Brian Vickers appreciates the opportunity to drive the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in place of injured Tony Stewart would be nothing short of a colossal understatement. “If anything, I feel more rested than every single person in this garage,” Vickers said on Friday at Daytona International Speedway, as Stewart-Haas announced him as the interim driver for Stewart during Speedweeks. “I’m more hungry than every single person in this garage. “I’m happier to be here, more appreciative.”Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Following the unfortunate accident in an all-terrain vehicle on Tuesday that has left Tony Stewart hospitalized with a back injury, the NASCAR community continues to wait on the status of the three-time Sprint Cup champion. With no word on the severity of the injuries, many wonder what this could mean for Stewart, who declared 2016 would be his last in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Stewart, 44, has missed a combined 18 races dating back to 2013, breaking bones in his right leg that season inRead More