Brian Vickers

Biography

Like any new job, or first year in school, there’s an adjustment period, or “feeling out” process, necessary to get one steered in the right direction and establish a level of comfort.

For Brian Vickers, that’s exactly what his rookie term in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series was like. No one would likely label the 21-year-old’s season a bust, but it wasn’t stellar, either. Mistakes are part of the learning process and every lap turned in 2004 equated to more experience for the charismatic and fun-loving Vickers.

“I learned a lot about racing, life and how to compete at the NEXTEL Cup Series level,” Brian Vickers said of his rookie campaign. “Every week was something new, and at times we ran well, but at times we struggled. I learned both what not to do and what to do. Good or bad, I’m carrying every experience with me moving forward.”

Vickers competed in all 36 NEXTEL Cup events behind the wheel of the No. 25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolets in 2004, ending the season with two pole positions, four top-10 finishes and a 25th-place result in the point standings.

The Thomasville, N.C., native burst onto the scene in 2003 competing for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch Series. In his first full season, Brian Vickers won three races and claimed the first-ever Busch Series championship for Hendrick Motorsports, etching his name into the record books, becoming NASCAR’s youngest-ever champion at age 20.

A key component of Brian Vickers’ success in 2003 was Lance McGrew, who didn’t make the move to the Cup Series with Vickers in 2004. Instead, McGrew maintained his role as the Busch Series crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports.

After being separated for a year, the duo has been reunited for the 2005 season as McGrew was named crew chief of the No. 25 team. Together, the two will be looking to rekindle the success of two years ago.

“It means a lot to be back working with Lance,” Vickers said. “There’s a level of communication I have with him that I’ve never had before with a crew chief in my career. He’s intelligent and we have a good understanding of one another.

“There have been a lot of changes made to make this team better, all of which have me excited. I’m trying to be reasonable with my goals for ’05, but at the same time I have high expectations.”

One look inside the Hendrick Motorsports trophy-case and it’s easy to understand the organization’s commitment to winning.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2004 season, a series of moves were made with the hopes of achieving the same success experienced by the Nos. 24 and 48 squads, which operate as one team under one roof.

First, longtime No. 24 team member Brian Whitesell was named as manager for the Nos. 5, 25 and 44 NEXTEL Cup teams, a newly created position. Whitesell, one of the architects of Hendrick’s No. 24 group, was also a principal influence in the development of the No. 48 lineup.

After the personnel changes came the relocation process. In January 2005, the Nos. 5, 25 and 44 teams moved into a new state-of-the-art, 85,000 square-foot facility, adjacent to the 24/48 building on the Hendrick Motorsports grounds.

Brian Vickers has already proven himself as a capable championship contender, indicated by the 2003 Busch Series campaign. With abundant changes made during the off-season, 2005 may prove to be Vickers’ breakthrough year in NASCAR’s premier series.