Friday, June 19, 2009

Team Red Bull Good and Bad; Vickers on Pole, Speed Out

by Micah Roberts

Brian Vickers is the surprise pole sitter for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, despite it being his fourth pole of the season and second straight. Vickers is always a contender to have big runs on the big horsepower tracks, but the perfect lap on the road course of Sonoma is a completely different story.

After finishing 5th in the Friday’s first practice session with a great late run, Vickers was able to carry that momentum over into qualifying posting a lap of 93.678 mph in his Red Bull Toyota.

Lined up right behind Vickers are two other Toyota’s driven by Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose. Tony Stewart shook off a sluggish practice and finished fourth followed by last years Sonoma pole sitter Kasey Kahne in fifth.

The biggest surprise of qualifying with all the hired guns driving, was that former Formula One driver Scott Speed failed to qualify his Red Bull Toyota. The shock is two-fold because he is a very good road course driver and also because his teammate, Vickers, is on the Pole.

See NASCAR.com link in right column for complete Starting Lineup

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