Daytona Focus: Brian Vickers and GMAC Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2003) – One word might best describe Brian Vickers’ attitude going into the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series season: READY.
With the opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway just 10 days away, the 19-year-old driver of the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet Monte Carlo is boiling over with excitement as he prepares for his first-ever race on the 2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway.
“Daytona can’t get here soon enough,” Vickers said. “After last year’s season finale in Miami I was looking forward to the offseason, but that changed when I signed on with Hendrick Motorsports in December.
“I’ve been ready for weeks now and the time has finally come. I have the opportunity of a lifetime; one that a lot of drivers dream about. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports has welcomed me with open arms and given me the resources I need to be successful. That’s why I can’t wait for everything to get rolling.”
Since joining Hendrick in early December, Vickers and his GMAC team have worked together at the track only once, during January’s open test session at Daytona. In the meantime, the Thomasville, N.C., native is spending his time at the shop, interacting with his crew members and making sure everything within his driver’s compartment fits as the team continues to finish building race cars for this season.
Crew chief Lance McGrew is well aware of the enthusiasm Vickers brings to the shop every week and expects the same excitement level to continue for the entire 34-race Busch Series schedule.
“There’s no doubt Brian is excited for Daytona,” McGrew said with a grin. “He comes to the shop smiling, in a good mood and always full of energy. He’s easily excitable.”
As crew chief, McGrew is responsible for capturing all of that energy and putting it into a bottle where it can be stored for later use. The good thing for McGrew is that it’s probably easier to corral excitement than create it.
“There will be times this year when I will need to calm Brian down,” McGrew said. “I fully expect for it to happen.”
The season opener for GMAC Racing team takes place on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. EST. Television coverage of the event will take place on FOX beginning at 12:30 p.m.