No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers knows Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway is his final chance to earn a berth in NASCAR’s 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The No. 55 team must win the 400-lap race to join 15 other teams in the 10-race playoff that begins Sept. 14 at Chicagoland Speedway.
The Michael Waltrip Racing driver believes he’ll compete for the victory Saturday if his car is as good as it was in April. The Aaron’s Dream Machine finished 12th after running third with 26 laps remaining. Vickers expects the closing laps of Saturday night’s race to be as wild as any of the season.
VICKERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT’S RICHMOND RACE: “I think it’s going to be a battle. It’s going to be intense. It’s not just about the guys on the cusp for points, it’s about anyone that can win. The intensity is going to kick in. To be honest with you, it’s been there all year. I think that every week you show up, your goal is to win and you do everything you can to try to get that win.”
APRIL RICHMOND RACE: “We had a really, really good long run car there once we got it right. We were just on the splitter way too hard at the beginning of the race. Once we got that up and got the car freed up we were really, really good and maybe the best car late in the race.”
EXPECTATIONS: “The end of the last race was just mayhem which is what I expect at the end of Saturday night’s race with so much on the line. I thought we had a chance to run down the leaders and get the win in April, but it just wasn’t our night. I hope this time it will be our night.”
THE RICHMOND TRACK: “I think just about every driver likes to race at Richmond. Heck, just about every fan likes Richmond. They get to see us go fast, but still be able to run side-by-side in the corners and maybe even do a little beating on each other. Drivers like it because you have your choice of different lines through the corner like you saw last week at Atlanta.”
MWR PR
