Everett, Wash.
Published: Saturday, July 12, 2008

NASCAR notes: Vickers making run at Chase

Also items on Eliott Sadler's brother and most popular driver voting

By Mike Harris
Associated Press

 With only eight races left until the start of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, it's nervous time for some of the drivers on the outside but still within reach of a spot in the stock car postseason.

Brian Vickers, 15th in the standings and just 112 points behind Tony Stewart — currently in 12th, the final Chase position — is one of them.

Vickers, driving the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, has put himself in contention with a surge that began last month with a second-place finish at Pocono followed by a fourth-place run at Michigan. In the past six races, he has piled up the third-most points in Cup.

But he still has veteran Kevin Harvick and rookie David Ragan between him and Stewart heading into Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I'm excited, and a little anxious. (I) just want to get through it," Vickers said. "When you're on the cusp of being in the Chase, there's a lot of pressure there.

"I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself or the team. We are a second-year team with a second-year manufacturer, so the fact that we're even in contention for the Chase is fantastic. We're capable of it with a little bit of luck, hard work and focus. We have to make the ground up. It's not ours to lose."

The 1.5-mile Chicagoland oval has been good to Vickers.

He has not finished outside the top 15 and has completed every lap in his first three starts at the Joliet, Ill., track.

Meanwhile, Stewart, coming off his announcement this week that he will leave Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of 2008 to become an owner-driver, also has some work to do if he wants to assure himself a spot in the Chase.

Going into Chicagoland, Stewart is just two points ahead of Harvick. But he is also just 23 points behind ninth-place Matt Kenseth.

Stewart, who wound up 13th, just missing the Chase in 2006, isn't as nervous about the situation as Vickers, who has yet to make the postseason.

"It's not a life-or-death situation if you have a bad day as long as after 26 races you're in that top-12 group," Stewart said. "If you have one bad race and it puts you 16 points out, like it did us back in 2006, then it is bad. It just depends on each individual team's scenario."

MOST POPULAR: More than 1 million votes have already been cast this year for the 2008 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award.

The award was first given in 1956 and has been won by some of the best-known drivers in NASCAR history, including Bobby Alison, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Richard Petty. More recently, Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have dominated the voting.

Petty, who won the award nine times, said winning it was like a season-ending bonus.

"I was always just doing my job, trying to get along with people and win races," Petty said. "It just so happened, at the end of the year they call you up and tell you that you won the 'Most Popular' award. It makes you feel like you had a good year, even if on the racetrack it wasn't a good year."

The voting, which continues until the end of the Cup season, is again being conducted on the Internet at www.chexmostpopulardriver.com — fans can vote once a day for their favorite.

Earnhardt Jr. has been the winner of the award each of the past five years, a fact that doesn't surprise Petty a bit.

"Over the years, his dad was popular. I think Dale Earnhardt Jr. creates so much of his own popularity because he is a completely different individual than the majority," Petty said. "He talks and tells it like it is. I think people appreciate that."

ON THE MAT: Former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler, who retired after the 2006 season, has gained some recognition recently as an analyst for SPEED and Direct TV Hot Pass. But the older brother of current Cup star Elliott Sadler is branching out.

Hermie has signed a contract to work with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling.

"I am a longtime pro wrestling fan and a true supporter of TNA Wrestling; I really believe in the product," Sadler said. "In this new job with TNA, there are endless possibilities — both behind the scenes and in front of the camera."

Sadler, a former Busch Series rookie of the year, has wrestled in past TNA matches, served as a guest referee and also has sat in as an announcer with broadcasters Mike Tenay and Don West.

In 2002, Sadler had a "feud" with TNA Wrestling star Ron Killings, leading to a number of appearances and matches as part of a cross-promotion between TNA and NASCAR. TNA Wrestling later sponsored Sadler's racing efforts.

HE SAID IT: "We've had that consistency and have been able to show up every weekend and have something for 'em. We're competitive, and that comes from the preparation and pride my guys have at Hendrick Motorsports. Tony (Eury) Jr. and the boys are getting the job done. I think this is a really good opportunity for me to race for a championship this season." — Dale Earnhardt Jr., second in the season points, talking about his first season with the Hendrick team.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Halfway through the 36-race Cup season and heading into Chicagoland, there have been 10 different race winners and 11 different pole winners. Forty-six drivers have led at least one lap and 74 drivers have attempted to qualify for at last one race.

Among the manufacturers, Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge all have cars among the top 12 in points, and all four have won at least three races.
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