Brian Vickers' Michigan Win a Long Time Coming

Congratulations to Team Red Bull driver Brian Vickers, who won yesterday's Carfax 400 at Michigan. It was Vickers' second Sprint Cup victory and the first points victory for TRB. It was also the first victory for Toyota at Michigan, the home track for NASCAR's American manufacturers.

The win, Vickers' first since Talladega in 2006, came on a weekend that he dominated from start to finish. He won the pole for the Sprint Cup race on Friday, qualified first for the Nationwide race on Saturday, and led the most laps in that race, finishing second.

Vickers was engaged in a heated battle with Kyle Busch in the closing laps of the Nationwide race, leading to a heated confrontation in the pits.

In a post-race interview, Vickers apologized for ruining "the Kyle Busch show," one of the sharpest and funniest comments a driver has made all season.

A fired-up Vickers then came to the track on Sunday hungry to make up for failing to win on Saturday. He only led 12 laps of the Cup race, but they were the laps that counted; Vickers watched race leader Jimmie Johnson run out of fuel for the second time in two Michigan races this year. Both times Johnson had led the most laps, but saw fuel mileage cost him the victory.

The loop data shows just how strong Vickers was on Sunday. His average running position through the race was fifth; he was in the top 15 99 percent of the time, tops among all drivers; and his driver rating of 126.8 was tops among the field. He also had the best driver rating in the Nationwide race, an absurdly high 145.0.

This win, Vickers' first with the Red Bull organization, has been a long time coming.

It's been apparent for a long time just how talented Vickers is—his 2003 Nationwide Series championship at age 20 is a testament to that. He was just starting to get his Sprint Cup legs in 2006, finishing 15th in points with the fourth Hendrick car, when he signed with Red Bull.

Jumping to a fledgling Toyota team with no owners points in 2007 may have been a miserable short-term career move (13 DNQ's), but it began paying off last year, when he jumped to 19th in points. The Red Bull team is even better this season, especially as of late, with each of Vickers' past six finishes 11th or better. Vickers' six poles also lead the Sprint Cup Series.

Picking up a talent like Vickers has paid off for Red Bull, both on the track and off. Vickers is a marketable face willing to take part in almost any Red Bull promotions, from skydiving to a pit stop in the middle of New York City. An avid social networker, Vickers engages with fans much in the way that the energy drink company does.

On the track, Vickers provides TRB with a lead driver that can compete for wins and a Chase berth over the course of a full season. He also serves as a mentor for Scott Speed, the ex-Formula One driver/loose cannon, who, like A.J. Allmendinger before him, still needs a bit of seasoning to make his transition from open-wheel racing successful.

It's impossible to deny that after all the work Vickers and TRB have done over the past three years, they were due for their first win. Now sitting 13th in points, they're also peaking at the right time to potentially steal a Chase spot from another worthy driver.

For more analysis, as well as an interview with Kyle Busch conducted during his recent visit to Toledo Speedway, head over to OnPitRow.com.