No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers and fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin are the only drivers who own two top-five finishes in the three restrictor plate races in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
Vickers finished fourth at Talladega Superspeedway in May then came within a few feet of winning the July race at Daytona before finishing second.
The Michael Waltrip Racing driver hopes he gets another chance for victory at Talladega this weekend at the fourth and final restrictor plate race of the season. Success at the 2.66-mile track isn’t something new for Vickers. His first career victory came at the fall Talladega race in 2006. He owns five top-five finishes in 15 races at the Alabama track.
Vickers and the No. 55 team will spend Tuesday and Wednesday testing at Phoenix International Raceway before traveling to Talladega. On Oct. 28 and 29 they will participate in a Goodyear test at California Speedway where the team will test the 2015 Camry Toyota unveiled Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
VICKERS: “Talladega will always be a special place to me. I think every driver remembers that first victory and the track where it happened. Talladega is also a place where we have finished well. I don’t know if there is any great strategy to Talladega. In May, track position made so much difference at the end of the race. Once we got to the front we could stay there. Clint (Bowyer) and I got up there and I think we each had a real shot at the win. I can say all the standard things about Talladega. Stay out of trouble, be there at the end and have a good drafting partner. But at the end of the race you also need a lot of luck. If you do everything right and get a little luck anyone can win.”
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