While many Texans might carry a revolver in their holsters, Red Bull Racing Team drivers Brian Vickers and Scott Speed will be packing their new Special Edition 19.2oz cans this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
The pair are the first athletes to be featured on a Red Bull can - maybe a bit more swagger in Texas will help Speed and Vickers ride their new spoilers to success after both left Phoenix with less than satisfying results.
Although the spoiler has been bolted to the back of the Red Bull Toyotas for two races already (the short track in Martinsville and the flat oval in Phoenix last weekend), no one expected it to make much of a difference until the series arrived at the high-speed 1.5 mile, quad–oval Texas Motor Speedway.
"I think the spoiler's going to make a bigger difference when we're around other cars at a track like Texas." –Scott Speed
Vickers feels a January tire test where he tried the spoiler out at the Texas Motor Speedway gave him a good idea of what to expect this weekend.
“I think the spoiler is a great addition for all the racetracks. Obviously it’s pretty much irrelevant in Martinsville — maybe you can see out of the mirror more, but that’s just about it. Really it’s more about perception there,” he said.
“For a high speed racetrack, I thought it was a good improvement. Not huge, not substantial, but definitely a noticeable improvement from our perspective and I think the fans will see it as well.”
Getty Images/Red Bull Photofiles
Vickers is hoping to rebound from a blown tire in Phoenix that put him into the wall and ruined his day. The crew worked overtime to fix the car and got it back on track after 87 laps' worth of repairs, which helped Vickers gain five spots to 37th by the end of the race. While it seems insignificant now, the extra 10 points the crew earned Vickers may be critical later this year. Remember that Vickers qualified for the Chase Cup last season by just eight points.
Right now, he’s 17th overall with 786 points; he made it into the top-12 following Martinsville but fell back in Phoenix.
Teammate Speed will also be looking to move back up the points table in Texas after a trio of rough races for the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota. A quick start had him in the top-12 Chase for the Cup early, but he dropped back following a pair of disappointing results on the short tracks in Bristol and Martinsville, then got derailed by brake troubles in Phoenix last weekend.
But that’s all behind him now as Speed looks forward to seeing how the new spoiler reacts on a wide-open track like Texas.
“I think it gave the car a little more grip, but I think what it's going to do in traffic and what it's going to do in a racing situation is yet to be seen because no one really ran with each other. I expect that to be a much bigger change,” he said.
“By ourselves, I don't think it made that much of a difference, but I think it's going to make a bigger difference when we're around other cars at a track like Texas.”
Speed also has only five more chances to race his way into the May 22 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway by winning a Cup event. Vickers is already in, courtesy of his victory in Michigan last season. If Speed can’t deliver a win, he’ll need his fans to help him get in the field.
Getty Images/Red Bull Photofiles
After an impressive start to the 2010 Sprint Cup season, he deserves an all-star berth. He’s well ahead of his pace from his rookie season, scoring 716 points in seven races, which almost doubles his output up to the same point in the 2009 campaign, and sees him up 16 spots in the standings to 22nd after seven starts.
Drivers get a spot in the All-Star Race field by virtue of a win last season or in any 2010 race up to the stop at the Dover International Speedway on May 16. All winners of previous all-star events and Cup Series champions in the last 10 years also get a berth. After that, the only ways to get into the field are a top-2 finish in the 40-lap preliminary Sprint Showdown or the top spot in the online fan vote.
Speed’s supporters can cast their ballot for the Red Bull driver in NASCAR’s online fan vote here. Find out how Red Bull Racing get on in Texas here, or follow Vickers on Twitter.
Comments
Add a comment