Vickers Drafts Way to Top-10 at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 7, 2003) – The third time was a charm for the GMAC Racing team Friday night under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. In the two previous restrictor plate races this season, the team had only managed to complete 130 out of a possible 233 laps, with finishes of 42nd and 23rd respectively. In the midst of the battle for the NASCAR Busch Series championship, the team responded with a strong ninth-place qualifying effort and backed it up with their fifth consecutive top-10 finish. Friday night’s Fourth of July special was a carbon copy of February’s race, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. stealing the show, leading all 100 laps. The beginning portion of the race saw plenty of follow-the-leader racing with Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet, advancing his way into fourth on Lap 35. The first caution flag of the race waved on Lap 42 with all of the lead pack cars electing to pit, including the No. 5 Chevy. While some of the front-runners elected to change just two tires, the GMAC team chose to change four, add fuel and make an air-pressure adjustment. Despite a minor mishap in the pits, Vickers lost just one position and restarted the race on Lap 47 in fifth. The most intense racing of the night happened during the next 25 laps as Vickers slid to 12th before once again hooking up with the lead draft and advancing to sixth on Lap 75 before the third caution flag of the race waved on Lap 88. With passing difficult, most of the lead pack cars seemed content to hold their positions and follow Earnhardt, knowing they could easily lose several positions if they tried to step out of line and make a pass. However, on Lap 95, Scott Riggs, driving the No. 10 entry and running seventh, pulled out from behind Vickers and the two raced side-by-side for two laps before Riggs grabbed the spot. Unfortunately, the pair lost the lead draft, squashing any hopes for Vickers to gain any further positions. The race ended with Earnhardt claiming another superspeedway victory, while Vickers and GMAC Racing finished seventh. “We did what we needed to do and I gained a lot of drafting experience,” said Vickers. “We managed to stay out of trouble and it turned out to be a really good points night for us.” Friday night’s finish was a far cry from the team’s 42nd-place finish at Daytona in February. The GMAC team gained 41 points in the chase for the championship and currently rest in sixth, just 88 points behind new leader Scott Riggs. The GMAC team will return to action Saturday, July 12 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Live coverage of the event will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and MRN.