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

Martinsville Speedway is a special place to No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver Brian Vickers.

The half-mile, concrete track in southern Virginia is one of the places where a young Vickers fell in love with NASCAR. Just 60 miles from his Thomasville, N.C. boyhood home, the Vickers family often made the trip to Martinsville Speedway— the only track that’s been on the NASCAR circuit since it began in 1948. Martinsville is the site of important milestones in Vickers’ driving career. The 30-year-old, who now lives in Miami, said he still gets a special feeling each time he walks into the historic track.

VICKERS ON MARTINSVILLE:  “I actually remember coming to Martinsville as a kid and watching races. We stood in the corners before pit road changed and watched the cars go by. As a kid I always thought it was pretty cool the train went by the race track. Martinsville has always been a special place for me whether it was coming as a fan, running my first stock car race there, running Late Models or now running in the Cup Series here.”

HIS 2014 SEASON: “It’s the first year together as a team and it’s been great because I love this team and I genuinely mean that. The group of guys that Michael Waltrip Racing has put together for me to drive this Aaron’s Dream Machine is one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with and I’ve been fortunate to work with some great teams over the years. I’ve been through a lot and I’ve learned the hard way how much you have to appreciate the days you have and the opportunities you get. We came into this year wanting to win the championship — that’s our goal, that’s what we do and that’s why we all show up. When that opportunity slipped away from us it was frustrating, but I still just enjoyed showing up to work every day. It has been a roller coaster, but definitely the highs have been higher and I’ve had a lot of fun this year.”

MWR PR