Vickers says Busch better be ready to be shut out by Hendrick
Quote selected text Published June 17th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Brian Vickers (right when he was with Hendrick) says that Kyle Busch should be ready for a change in the dynamics of his Hendrick Motorsports team for the rest of the year. Vickers was in a similar situation last year for half the season when he knew he wouldn’t return to the No. 25 Hendrick team. Busch is leaving the No. 5 team at the end of the year.
“It definitely changes things,” said Vickers, who is now driving for Team Red Bull. “The important thing is to remain focused, for you and the entire team, and be professional about it.” Last year, Vickers was not allowed to attend meetings for the latter third of the season. “Obviously I was removed from most of the meetings,” Vickers said. “I didn’t get very much information. It made going fast tough. It made our jobs difficult, not being in a lot of team meetings or last-minute information that really helps to do your job. “But you just have to do the best you can.”
- Reports: Mears to replace Vickers at Hendrick before seasons’ end
- Hendrick ready to leave the No 25 behind
- Vickers not allowed in Hendrick team meetings
- Busch says Hendrick teammates refused to draft with him at Daytona
- Vickers doesn’t think Bruton Smith’s extra security offer is serious
Yeah, Hendrick is a prick. Agreed. I understand not wanting to give
info to someone who could carry it to another team next year, but
y’know, when you sign someone on for a contract it’s your job as car
owner to ensure they get a fair shake just like everyone else until
the contract is completed.
Vickers left for Toyota….what did he expect? All the data presented on a disc for Toyota to use?
He should have been allowed in meetings, he was still part of the team until the end of the season. He was not told not to go to the meetings until after Gordon had a problem with him a few races before Talladega, becaue he didn’t back off and let Gordon (who was running for the championship) pass him with no effort. Yeah, people might say that he’d learn things in the after practice meetings that he could bring over to Toyota, but, did anyone think that he also could have had imformation that could have helped the other members of the team What he was feeling on the track could have been useful for the other drivers to know. I am not a Vickers fan, but, right is right.
Oh, and does anyone else remember that despite how he was being treated by Rick Hendric and the team,, he still dedicated his win to Ricky Hendrick? So, who was the more professional one in this issue?
we all kno hendrick dont run his teams. it all gordon an johnson. that y i think jr made a bad move not cuz hendrick is bad himself but because of the team mates he will be working with. jeff an jimmie are little bitches and notice how they are the only ones who really have any sucess at hendrick. kyle was really the onkly one who broke that string till vickers did at talladega. kyle will prolly be treated the same way soon. hendrick never really let vickers shine. look at him now. for toyota missed a couple races but the ones he has made he has shown his true driving talent with an upstart team. hopefully kyle will do the same with whoever he drives for next year.
when you leave a company they ususally make you leave that day and take nothing with you. I don’t see this as being any different, you don’t share information with opposing teams and he would have taken alot of info with him. Smart move to shut him out of meetings.
Kyle will be fine and Vickers is doing well.
Jeff and Jimmie are not the only ones doing good at hendrick
Kyle has a win this season.. and Casey Mears has a win and has
been consitant most the season too.. I would not believe anyone
if they said that they would let a soon to be ex teamate into
team meetings.. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do the same
thing to Jr at DEI.. it makes alot of sence to me..
Casey Mears hasn’t been consistant at all.. don’t know where you’re getting your statistics from be he won a race from a fuel strategy and had a good race at Michigan.. other than that he wasn’t being consistant at alll.
I don’t think Hendrick just shut Vickers out at just the meetings…I think he shut him out at the track too ! Brian and Ricky were the best of buddies that is why he didicated his win to Ricky ! Unlike Mr. Hendricks…Brian Vickers was a REAL friend !
In any other sport, your teammates will still share information with you even if you are soon to be a free agent. When a teammate wins , everyone wins. The entire organization wins. Who doesn’t want to succeed? Maybe a spiteful person or two within that group.
NASCAR is a business… These guys were and are on the way out to other teams. Why would the current most successful team want to hand their plans for the near future over to another team? What the hell does he need to know? Just get in the damn car and drive… I mean, come on! lol.
I agree, Vickers and Kyle are both talented. So, there’s one thing I don’t get… Why the hell is Mears still there?!?!? Especially if what Kyle was saying about his ousting not being his decision. Kyle is a billion times the driver to me as compared to Mears.
I agree that Kyle Busch is probably a very talented driver. However, he has a lot of growing up to do. Temper tantrums and wrecked race cars do not keep you emloyed forever. Casey Mears is still a Hendrick because he is a class act working his a** off to help his team improve and they are. They have moved from from 35th to 19th in the points. I’d rather have that dedication on my team any day. Talent can only get you so far the rest is up to you.
Didn’t Vickers win a race at the very end of the season? I thought he did……if I am correct, things must not have been too bad if he won.
Anonymous, Vickers won the fall race at Talladega, but, he wrecked Jimmie Johnson while doing it. Maybe the veteran drivers should have been helping him a bit more and he would have learned more about drafting and holding back and maybe he would not have wrecked the 48, causing the 48 to run into the 8.
Again, I am not a Vickers fan, but, if veteran drivers think their younger, inexperienced team members need to learn more, they should help to teach them, not just push them aside. What makes Gordon better than other veterans, big deal that he’s won four, probably 5 championships…he’s a great driver, no denying, but, he’s not the greatest human being.
Why is it that Mark Martin (who since 1989 has only finished out of the top 10 in points twice since 1989, and is currently 13th while driving only part time) can be willing to help newer drivers (David Regan) but Gordon is too full of himself to do the same.
Also, as far as Kyle Busch’s temper tantrums and wrecks, I don’t think it’s just an age thing, he seems to be taken after his big brother Kurt, or does anyone NOT think what Kurt did in Dover wasn’t a prime example of a temper tantrum. Is someone on the street did that (as a result of road rager or whatever) he’d be charged wth assault with a deadly weapon.
I hate to sound cliche but rubbing is racing, even if it is done in anger. …I don’t really think that is assault, even if you smash a dude under caution or on pit road… Now going out of your way to aim for a dude who is not in a car and hit him (which kurt did not do) could be different. All those drivers and crewmen know what they signed up for when they got in this sport. Innocent bystanders get hurt all the time in racing. They shouldn’t be at the track if they can’t handle it, even fans.
Mears will have to do something halfway talented on the track to get me to see any glimmer of hope in him. A fuel mileage win isn’t one of those things. Class act… Do you really believe that? Ganassi hired Mears because he needed somebody he could get cheap and Casey has the Mears last name. Then Ganassi pushed Mears out of the Target car (to a complete crap ride) for Reed Sorenson to come in and then he lucked into the Texaco car by McMurray leaving… Gordon got him hired at Hendrick because he and Jimmie like the poor guy.. Mears’ two wins in both Busch and Cup have been from fuel strategy… I’m sure he’s an alright guy but do you really think he belongs in NASCAR? I know he’s not the only one but this is what we’re talking about. Even if you think he belongs, how can you say he has talent? Maybe he’s saving it for a rainy day?
If Mears ever finishes in the top 10 in points at the end of a season (I know the chase is 12 now, but anyone could luck into that top 12). I will wear a Mears hat every race weekend for an entire season. I’m that convinced he has nothing to show us. I’ll hold myself to it.
“Rubbing is racing”….only in Nascar bud.
The crew members do know what they signed up for, but, dodging Busch’s Dodge isn’t one of them. I can tell you never worked the pits. It is like family and people do care about each other, they are your racing family away from your real family.
Mears may not belong in Nascar, but, neither do half of the rest of the drivers. The truth is Nascar does not belong in the Mears family.
He already said Mears isn’t the only one. And if Nascar doesn’t belong
in the Mears family, why’d Casey sign up for it instead of following
in Rick’s footsteps? It was his choice and Rick comes to atleast some
of the races. So, apparently, it does indeed belong.
That’s what makes stock car racing what it is. Cars need fenders. Racing is boring if they can’t touch. Even F1 and Champ cars lean on each other at times without fenders. IRL drivers don’t because Indy cars quite simply suck.
I’ve never worked on pit road but if I was scared of getting hurt or dying I wouldn’t step out there… I’d be happy to step out there. Dodging anything and everything should be in their contract if its not.
I wish Mears would have never found his way to NASCAR. He’s a waste of space.
Axel, rubbing on the track, accidental impact on pit road, yeah, those are the kinds of things that people working in NASCAR should be aware of and expect will happen at times.But, remember, when two cars rub, or make contact, both peole involved (drivers) are protected to the extreme. The pit crews do not have such protection. If they’re in t pitbox and they are involved in an accident, yeah, that’s a risk. I think it was during the chase lst year that a pit member was accidentally hit and broke both legs (thinking maybe Burton’s crew but not sure.). That’saninformed risk their taking.
DELIBERATELY running into another car on pit row having NO consideration for the person standing next to the car is something completely different. I don’t care how angry you are about what happens on the track, these “adults” should be able to handle it. When Kurt’s brother wrecked him in the All Star Race, he didn’t go and attack him in any way at the track, he said that the two of them would have to talk. Well, he should have been adult enough to TALK with Stewart privately after the race rather than show an incredible amout of immaturity and lack of concern for other’s safety.