Brian Vickers after winning the 2009 Carfax 400
Brian Vickers signed a multi-year contract extension with Red Bull Racing today, thus validating the rumor his sponsor wasn’t all that keen on re-upping with him until it could start using the advertising slogan “our energy drink guy has as many wins in the past year and a half as that other energy drink guy,” more commonly referred to as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Which is a bit snappier than “he has 425 more points and unlike Dale Jr. an actual shot at making the Chase,” although the latter is equally accurate.
Aside from their primary sponsors both being unnecessary albeit ubiquitous accessories for teenagers, Vickers and Earnhardt have precious little in common outside their chosen profession.
Dale Jr. is NASCAR’s favorite son and most beloved driver, whereas Vickers toils in near anonymity except when he wins. Which has been exactly twice in Cup, the first time being at Earnhardt’s expense during the fall 2006 Talladega race when in an outburst of youthful enthusiasm — you know, brainlessness — he attempted a last-lap pass of Dale Jr. and Jimmie Johnson who were dueling for the win. Vickers wrecked them both en route to victory, thereby easily becoming number one on the Junior Nation’s enemy list and remaining there until Kyle Busch came along.
His second win this past Sunday at Michigan came courtesy of running second behind Johnson, who had utterly dominated the race, and at the end unlike Johnson succeeding in a fuel mileage gamble.
Vickers is a competent NASCAR driver, albeit one in no danger of being included in the gallery of the greats. He’s definitely one of the sport’s oddest. As noted by Dustin Long, he enjoys skydiving, admires Albert Einstein and the Dalai Lama, embraces the concept of an undefinable God, and wants to learn three additional languages: Spanish, French… and Mandarin. Nothing that would so much as raise an eyebrow in most big cities. But in NASCAR? Somehow it’s difficult to see Vickers tipping back a brewski with Bubba in the infield.
Philosophy quirks aside, the question is whether Vickers has the same shot at being in the Chase as he does of being dubbed Sprint Cup’s official space cadet. He is currently one position and twelve points outside of the top twelve with three races remaining: Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond. Two of the three are short tracks, which is not good for the Red Bull boy. His average finish at Bristol in ten races has been 26th, while Richmond has been even less kind with an average finish of 27.8 although unlike Bristol he has at least cracked the top ten there… once in ten starts. Atlanta much more suits his style, with a top five and five top tens in twelve starts. But will that be enough?
Vickers might make the Chase, although given how his immediate competition for the title comes from the likes of Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth this is anything but assured. Red Bull may give you wings, but NASCAR’s space cadet is going to need a lot more than that in order to fly sufficiently high.
Photo credits: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR
