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Vickers drives his Toyota to top spot for Michigan race
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Published: August 16, 2008
BROOKLYN, Mich.
Nobody could touch Brian Vickers yesterday in Sprint Cup qualifying at Michigan International Speedway.
"It was there from the first lap, the first turn," Vickers said after a lap of 188.536 miles an hour put him on the pole for Sunday's 3M Performance 400.
"We tried some things during practice that didn't work at all," he said. "So we went back to where we were, and I think that's one of the best qualifying cars I've ever had. It was a heck of a lap.
"Sometimes you just hit it. You don't know why."
It was the fifth career pole for Vickers, but the first for his Red Bull Racing team and his first since November 2006 at Texas, when he was still driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
Last season, the first for Red Bull and Toyota in Sprint Cup, was mostly a struggle for Vickers, who finished 38th in the standings. But he has made big strides this year -- he finished fourth here in June for one of his three top-fives this season -- and is a solid 17th in the standings.
"I'm very proud of everybody at Red Bull Racing and Toyota," Vickers said. "We've come a long way since last year.
Jimmie Johnson, the two-time reigning Cup champion, was second at 187.028 mph. But his lap was more than 3/10ths of a second slower than Vickers on Michigan's two-mile oval.
"We picked up speed from practice, but I just knew in the car it wasn't the fastest lap," Johnson said.
"And I think, for that (Red Bull) team and Brian, this has been a track that fits their style. He'll be ever more of a threat come race time."
"That's a great team," Vickers said of Johnson and his No. 48 Hendrick Chevrolet. "It's the team to beat in our sport for the last several years."
The fast lap by Vickers wasn't a fluke. He was also fastest in the 90-minute practice earlier yesterday.
"To lay that lap down in practice and back it up in qualifying, that's a really good feeling," Vickers said. "Really unbelievable. I wish we could take that and apply it to every week. But it's not that easy.
"But anytime you can see progress, feel progress, patience comes easier.
Elliott Sadler was third at 186.577 in a Dodge, followed by June winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet at 186.321, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet at 186.032 and the Dodge of rookie Patrick Carpentier at 185.979.
Rounding out the top 10 were David Reutimann at 185.907, rookie Regan Smith at 185.874 and Greg Biffle and Scott Riggs, both at 185.821.
Series leader Kyle Busch, who has a season-high eight Cup victories, will start 11th in Sunday's race.
Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, who earlier in the day confirmed that they will be teammates on the new Stewart-Haas Racing team in 2009, qualified 20th and 21st, respectively.
There were only 44 entries trying for 43 spots, and Johnny Sauter failed to make the field.
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