Outlook Bright For GMAC Racing at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 21, 2003) – This week the NASCAR Busch Series schedule takes the GMAC Racing team to Bristol Motor Speedway, the first short track event of the 2003 season. At .533 miles in length with 36-degree banking, Bristol is known as the world’s fastest half-mile race track and is a perennial favorite for both the fans and drivers. “It’s like the coliseum in Rome -- a place where plenty of battles take place,” said Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet. “The grandstands go up as high as you can see and the people come in droves to watch racing there. For a half-mile track, the racing is blistering fast and there’s never a dull lap.” Vickers should feel at home on the short tracks. After all, he spent much of his career developing his skills while driving Late Models and competing in the ProCup Series at various short tracks across the Southeast. “If I had to make a list of my favorite tracks on the schedule, Bristol would be very close to the top,” Vickers said. “I just wish there were more tracks like it on the schedule.” Fresh off a seventh-place finish at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Monday, Vickers believes this weekend’s race will continue the momentum generated by the GMAC during the past three events. Vickers is one of just three drivers to finish in the top-15 during the last three Busch Series events. “We’ve had very good cars at every race this season,” Vickers said. “The guys on the team have been working hard at the shop and in the pits to give me what I need to be successful. There’s no reason we can’t come out of Bristol with a strong finish and keep moving up in the points.”