Notebook: Vickers may get Cup preview
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
September 8, 2003
11:08 AM EDT (1508 GMT)
RICHMOND, Va. -- A key member of the Hendrick Motorsports hierarchy says Brian Vickers, the latest nominee to Rick Hendrick's Winston Cup stable, should run as many as five races in NASCAR's premier series this season.
Ricky Hendrick, the owner of record of Vickers' No. 5 Chevrolet in the Busch Series, said he supported Vickers getting as much experience as he could before he appears at Speedweeks 2004 at Daytona in the Winston Cup Series.
"Brian I'm sure will run five Winston Cup events," Ricky said at Richmond International Raceway, where Vickers moved into second in the Busch Series standings with a fourth place finish Friday night. "I just don't know which ones and I don't know what car.
"I have heard talk of doing five events, because if you don't use them (opportunities), you lose them. My point to dad was, 'you need to put him in a car -- somebody's car -- or one of yours.'
"That's his (Rick Hendrick's) deal to structure but I just think it would be in Brian's best interest to get him into five Cup races before he gets to Daytona."
Rick Hendrick was "a little under the weather," his son said, so was not at Richmond.
HMS has a fifth car, a No. 60 that has attempted several races with David Green as its driver, but Ricky Hendrick said he wasn't sure that was the route his father would take.
"The team's already there and it could be a possibility," Hendrick said. "Are they geared up for it? No. But neither is anything else so I honestly don't know.
"I'm sure they have some kind of plan or some kind of itinerary of where they want to go, and we'll do whatever we can to make it work."