TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series
Brian Vickers — Notes & Quotes
Daytona International Speedway – July 3, 2014
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s FSU National Championship Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
What is your outlook for the weekend at Daytona with the FSU National Championship on your Camry?
“Obviously it’s an honor to have FSU and the champions on the car this weekend. It’s pretty cool. We’ve had an opportunity — Aaron’s has presented an opportunity to have some national champions over the years. I’m glad to bring it home to Florida. It’s always great to have the home state — at least where I live — on the car and obviously here in Daytona. It always bodes well for the fan interaction. We usually get some pretty great cheers out of it, but it’s cool. What these guys and what this team accomplished is no small feat and the task we have ahead of us this weekend is no small feat. Putting this car in victory lane would obviously mean a lot to the FSU fans, but also to this Aaron’s Dream Machine team and a win at Daytona would be huge. That’s our goal this weekend and we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen.”
How does the July race at Daytona rank compared to other races?
“Besides that it’s really, really, really hot I think that a win at Daytona is a win at Daytona. And, this race has a tremendous amount of meaning. We always put a lot of emphasis on the Daytona 500, but to walk out of here with a trophy and to be in victory lane at Daytona I think still carries a lot of meaning regardless of which race it is.”
What does it say about Aaron’s commitment to work with different college champions and bring a different demographic to NASCAR?
“I think it’s a national emphasis they have on education period. A lot of it is honoring the national champions in this particular situation with FSU, but it also goes deeper than that. I spent this morning a couple hours with at the Boys & Girls Clubs from various regions in this area. We’ve done it a couple times this year. It’s something that they’ve spent a lot of time and energy on to help promote education all the way through to the college level, but also starting really young. We’ve spoken to kids and actually the whole team — they bring the whole team out. Billy (Scott, crew chief), the engineers, Jeremy (Sharpley) on shocks and Kevin (White) on tires — and speak to all of these kids about one particular emphasis is STEM. Science, technology, engineering and math program, so it’s something that’s important to them as a company and then obviously their involvement in the sport is important to them as a company and they have a huge fan base here and they try to kind of tie it all together. But, bringing the kids out here and showing them how important an education is into the workplace particularly in this sport is a big part of it. I think this college tie in is all kind of part of that national reach they have to promote education.”
What is your take on the Daytona Rising project after skydiving into Daytona a few years ago?
“It just seems like more things to hit now. Not that there weren’t plenty at the time that I jumped. That was one of the coolest experiences of my life. The opportunity to skydive period is something I’ve really enjoyed, but the opportunity to jump into Daytona was really, really, really cool. At that time we were pushing to actually do it for the race but NASCAR wasn’t a big fan of that one. They were just like, ‘We don’t need you like landing in the grandstands right before the race.’ So, we were able to do it a week or so before the race, but it was a cool experience. It’s a completely different perspective and feeling of the whole track. As far as more specifically your question about Daytona Rising and the upgrade to the facility it’s fantastic. I think it’s great. We’ve seen so many sports complexes around the country as they either get built new or get rebuilt, refurbished and just kind of continually step up the quality for the fans I guess you could say. The quality of entertainment or quality of seating — like escalators for instance. Something you don’t really see at a lot of NASCAR tracks, but you see it everywhere else. I think it’s fantastic what ISC is doing here at Daytona and I can’t wait to see it at more facilities.”
Do you have a feel for if the teams who are behind this year are behind because of the ride-height rule?
“There’s a constant evolution of the sport of guys adapting to rule changes and pushing rules changes to the boundary and I think that it’s certainly played a lot into what’s going on this year. The ride-height rule change itself I think is good. There’s no reason the car needs to be floating through the air at six inches off the ground when you lose your downforce. I think it just makes it more difficult in traffic so I’m all for the change. I think it’s been a good change and the racing has proven that. As far as which teams tend to adapt to those changes the best, it’s probably the bigger teams. Hendrick is essentially an eight car team. I know there’s a rule that says they’re only supposed to have four but clearly that’s not the case. I mean, they share chassis, they share engineering, they share setups, they share engines, they share pretty much anything with Stewart-Haas so it makes them an eight car team. For that reason they adapt to changes the fastest. They have more tests, they have more time, they have more people working on one problem and if one person figures it out they can share that information among all of them and for that reason they tend to adapt the fastest and are able to push things the furthest.”
Does this race have any special meaning to you being around the Fourth of July?
“Yeah, of course. I mean, I think the Fourth of July race is always big for the sport. A lot of people in NASCAR kind of, I think, think of Daytona and the Daytona July Fourth race especially since it’s going to a night race and the fireworks and what not. There’s a huge contingency in our sport inside the garage and in the stands and even in this room that are very thankful for the freedoms we have as a country and what the July Fourth represents and the men and women that have served to provide that freedom. I know that’s always top of my mind. The reality is I think our sport has proven that it’s kind of top of our mind year round. There’s little events — Memorial Day and July Fourth where we really emphasize it, but it’s something that me personally and I can speak for everyone in the sport are very appreciative of that and these moments are great to really dive into it and honor it and remember it even more so.”
What did you take away from the test at New Hampshire earlier this week?
“We definitely learned some things. Obviously the rules have changed some and the setup we ran last year we can’t necessarily run this year. It is always nice going back to a track that you’ve won, especially recently. It brought back a lot of great memories being at Loudon. I was really happy with the test. I thought everyone at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and the Aaron’s team did a great job, was really happy with kind of the balance of the car and the setup we left with. We had good speed, but in general you’re fighting for so little these days. The box is so tight. We spend a lot of money testing and don’t always see huge gains and it’s tough. As long as the rules allow you to test, you have to test to be competitive. But, I’m totally fine if we have no testing. Just save the owners and the teams a lot of money. As of right now we have to test so we went and tested and I was really happy with it. I think we’ve got a good car and I think we can win again when we go back, but there’s 42 other people that are going to disagree with me so we’ll have to see.”
How important was the win at New Hampshire last year?
“It was huge. It was extremely important for so many reasons trying to reaffirm my career back in the Sprint Cup Series — obviously winning always helps. But, I think for me personally it was a huge accomplishment going from not knowing if I would ever race again ever and to being back in victory lane in the Sprint Cup Series, which was a goal. My ultimate goal when I decided to come back was to win, but to also win the championship. But, that was a huge step in the right direction and I was just so thankful to have the opportunity to race in the 55 car with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and Aaron’s and Toyota. The opportunity they gave me after being out for so long was huge and something I’ll never forget and the ability to be a part of that team to get back in victory lane was very special. Something that will always mean a lot to me.”
What is your interest in college football and do you have a favorite team?
“The good thing for this program that Aaron’s puts together where we honor the national champions is I really have no dog in the fight. I don’t actually watch a tremendous amount of college sports. My heart and focus has always been in racing so it’s easy for me to say I don’t actually have another favorite team because I don’t. But, what I think the opportunity and what Aaron’s has done with this has given me a chance to meet some really amazing athletes that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. Just because I don’t watch college football every weekend doesn’t mean I don’t respect what they do. I know it’s incredible. Just being at a football game or being on the sidelines and watching these guys play at the very best is truly amazing. And, what the coaches do to bring a group of kids together to perform a task at that level knowing they’re only going to be together for X amount of years because they’ve always got seniors graduating and freshman coming in. I think the task of a college football coach is really in a certain way unprecedented in sports. They always have this constant rotation whether they’re tasked with creating and sustaining these incredible sports programs. So, there’s a lot to be learned by that and the opportunity to have them on the car is something really cool. Obviously, living in Florida I’m glad it’s a Florida team and hopefully we can go out there and get them a win at Daytona.”
Have you had a chance to meet Coach Fisher or any FSU players?
“I haven’t yet, but we will throughout the weekend.”
Did the football team at FSU already see this car and what was their reaction?
“I believe it was unveiled at the school (during the spring football game). I’m not sure. I wasn’t there. I’ve been kept pretty busy this year. I think it was extremely positive. I’ve seen some videos and clips and they were pretty pumped about it. It’s really interesting and it’s great for the sport of NASCAR right. We’re constantly in pursuit of this younger audience and I think programs like this and the passion behind college sports is incredible. So, putting this program on the car this weekend — you’re going to have a tremendous amount of new fans watching this race to see how this car does and that’s great for everyone.”
How much pressure builds as you get closer to Richmond if you don’t have a win yet this season?
“I think the pressure is for the most part constant in the sense that your job is to go out and win and you want to win so you do everything you can to win every single weekend whether it’s the first race at Daytona — there’s pressure behind that right? There’s only one a year so you only get one shot at it each year. There’s no guarantees that you will get another one the following. As far as making the Chase and racing for the championship that pressure builds in the sense that I don’t know that Richmond — obviously Richmond win doesn’t count any more or less than the Daytona 500 win is in regards to the championship, but by the time you get to Richmond the closer you get to Richmond your opportunities start to shrink. I think when you don’t win Phoenix it’s like, ‘Okay, well there’s 24 more races that I’ve got a chance to win.’ When you don’t win a race the closer you get to Richmond — I don’t know the exact schedule in my mind — like when you don’t win the July Fourth Daytona race you haven’t won yet and you are obviously like, ‘Okay, well we’ve only got so many more chances to win.’ But, at the end of the day I really personally try to — obviously that’s in the back of my mind. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve thought about it, but I really just try to live in the moment and focus on the moment. And every single time I get in that race car every single time I work with a crew I just try to put my very best foot forward and do it with honesty, integrity and passion and that’s all I can do. If that’s not enough on a given weekend, that’s just not enough. But, as long as you put your very best on the table every single week, you walk out of there and you go onto the next one and you just get on with it. Someone told me a quote recently, ‘Give up all hope of a better past because there’s nothing you can do to change it.’ You’ve kind of just have to get on with it and I think part of that is just living in the moment and focusing on winning and doing the best we can today in practice, doing the best we can tomorrow in qualifying and doing the best you can in the race. Especially when you’re in a car every single day it just all kind of blurs. You just go out there and you just go fast and have fun.”
How important is it to have a team owner who is a potential good drafting partner during the race?
“It’s great. I think we’re fortunate at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) to have two great owners — Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman — and they both bring a lot to the table in their own way. Michael still being — actually the reality is they both still drive. Rob still does a lot of sports car driving in various series, but Michael still being in the car in an active role still keeps him up to date with what’s going on. I think it keeps his mind relevant as far as when you’re communicating with him and talking about things that we need to focus on or where we need to go or where we can improve. I mean, he’s there right? He’s in it and he gets it. I think it’s great having an owner that’s still that active in the sport and even occasionally drives. As far as this weekend is concerned, it’s Daytona, it’s drafting. All of the help you can get is great, but ultimately I know Michael wants to win this race as bad as I do so we’re going to probably help each other as much as we can throughout the race up until we don’t and then we’re racing for a win.”
