Vickers was disappointed by not being able to capitalize on having what he thought was the fastest car of the day.
ALMOST HAD IT
Vickers frustrated by missed chance
Diego Mejia / AutoSport.com
Brian Vickers ended up frustrated after crashing out of the Coca-Cola 600 due to a loose left-rear wheel, following his best showing of the season thus far.
Vickers led 61 laps, nearly a third of the distance he had completed until lap 184 when the left rear wheel on his Red Bull Camry apparently came loose, sending him into the wall while he was running second.
"The last couple runs it started to work loose a little bit and we weren't really sure exactly why," said Vickers about the wheel issue. "I have a lot of confidence in my pit crew guys - they won the All-Star Challenge so we know they're good. We've got to get to the bottom of it for sure.
"We had such a fast car - so, so fast. I'm just so proud of these Red Bull guys. That last time and every time it just sort of worked loose a little and it stayed on with just a slight vibration.
"The last time obviously it picked up a vibration for about two laps and then it just let go and came off the car."
The loose wheel on Vickers' car ended up being hit by David Gilliland, who sent it flying into the infield, coming to rest on top of a tent where fans were watching inside the fence betweens turns one and two.
Fortunately the tyre had slowed down enough before that not to cause damage or injuries once it crossed the fence separating the track from the infield.
Vickers was disappointed by not being able to capitalize on having what he thought was the fastest car of the day. Similarly he had been up front in last year's event but was compromised by power steering issues and a brush with the wall.
"It is definitely a little frustrating," Vickers added. "This was the first race for the new chassis at Red Bull and I'm really proud of those guys - they did an awesome job.
"Obviously, we were the fastest car here - very similar to last year and we just didn't have the luck or something. We're missing something there to be able to seal the deal."
Vickers currently runs 20th in the Sprint Cup Series points.
Posted May 26, 2008 , 7:49 pm EST Last Updated May 27, 2008 , 6:31 pm EST
