Brian Vickers No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Pocono Preview

No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend  with just six races remaining before the start of the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The Michael Waltrip Racing driver is 20th in the Chase standings just 27 points out of the 16th and final Chase spot.

Vickers knows good finishes over the next half-dozen races will aid his bid for a Chase berth, but a victory will likely guarantee a spot. The drive for the Chase begins Sunday on the ‘Tricky Triangle’ at Pocono Raceway where the No. 55 finished 19th in June.

What would it take to get a win before the Chase starts?

“You’re always trying to find something new and different and find speed through different strategies. I think the biggest thing we have to do is get consistent about what we’re doing and make small improvements. Anytime you swing for the fence it can go either way. Granted, if the opportunity presents itself we will, but there’s only so many things you can really do. We just need to do what we did at Indy in qualifying, which was maximize potential for the weekend, have good practice, good qualifying and then follow it up and stay up front and get track position and be there at the end of the race.”

Has Pocono changed since the repave?

“It’s changed a tremendous amount — the setups, the speeds — you kind of approach it as it’s different, but there’s certainly a lot of similarities. It’s still Pocono and it’s definitely different than the old Pocono and how you go about driving it.”

Is Pocono a difficult track to pass on and is track position important?

“It’s definitely challenging to pass, but it’s a competitive series. It’s challenging to pass everywhere. Racing is as tight as it’s ever been and as many cars on the lead lap as there’s ever been. There’s always that balance. I would always like to be able to pass everyone, but we can’t have all the cars equal handed or we’ll never pass anyone.”

MWR PR