It was off to the USAR Hooters ProCup Series for Brian and his team in 2000. He loved racing stock cars almost identical to those in the NASCAR Busch Series. “In the USAR, I was only 16 years old and had the opportunity to race against some of the best veteran short-track racers in the country,” Vickers says. He scored Rookie-of-the-Year honors, becoming the youngest event winner in the series’ history with two wins, and finished a very impressive third in the championship at season’s end.

Vickers and company returned for a sophomore season of USAR competition in 2001, finishing second in the title chase while collecting two more victories. The 17-year-old made his NASCAR Busch Series debut that year in July at the Milwaukee Mile event and ran three more races later that year.

In 2002, Brian and his team competed in 21 NASCAR Busch Series races as the only independent team with a rookie driver. “Balancing the travel and racing with my schoolwork was always challenging growing up,” he says, “but my education came first. My parents and I had rules in place to ensure that and it’s something I still believe strongly in today.” Mission accomplished: Brian graduated with honors a full semester early from Trinity (NC) High School in May of 2002. On the very same evening of his graduation, he found himself the highest-qualifying NASCAR Busch Series rookie at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Despite positive on- and off-track performances, he and his team took a turn for the worse as the 2002 season wound down when a sure-thing sponsor disappeared. Fortunately, his excellent late-season form caught the eye of Ricky Hendrick. “Ricky and I struck up a dialogue and eventually he decided he wanted me to drive his racecars,” Vickers says. Now it was up to the duo to convince Ricky’s daddy, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, that Brian was the right man to pilot one of the mega-team’s competitive rides.

Vickers was named the driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Busch Series machine for 2003. Father and son looked mighty sharp with their selection — the 20-year-old became the youngest Busch Series champion in NASCAR history, delivering Hendrick Motorsport’s first-ever championship in the category.

This Busch Series success earned Brian a full-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup ride in the No. 25 car for the Hendrick team starting in 2004. Since then, the young driver from Thomasville, North Carolina, earned a race win in the non-points-paying NEXTEL Open, four poles and the best points finish for the 25 team in a decade. But the big breakthrough came last fall when he scored his first Cup points win at Talladega in dramatic fashion. Needless to say, Brian’s swagger changed that day, all the better in Red Bull’s eyes.

While competing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is Brian’s all-consuming passion, he does have a life away from the track. Hanging out with family and friends is his number one leisure activity. “I’ve had great family, friends and staff help support and develop my career all the way,” he says.

Vickers battled his way through a traumatic debut season with Red Bull Racing to set the first-year performance benchmark for the all-new team and manufacturer partner Toyota, earning their first Top 10 finish in his 1st-ever start for RBR, their first Top 5 later that season and leading the most laps of any Toyota team during the 2007 season.

2008 was a sigh of relief after the first five races as Brian put the team locked into the top 35 in points and even inside the top ten for part of the season. He scored seven top ten finishes and was the runner up in Pocono. But the first win for Red Bull was still eluding Brian and the team.

The 2009 season was a roller coaster year if there ever was one. It started off with a huge wreck at Daytona which was not the way Vickers wanted to start the year. Then it got going. Two huge strings of top ten and top five finishes gained serious momentum for everyone- but the question still loomed- ‘When is Brian going to finally win one?” And sure enough, he got the first win for the Red Bull Racing Team and the second of his career in August at Michigan. That win along with the mid season charge and a fantastic performance at Richmond put Vickers in the Chase for the first time in his career. A huge feat for a third year team. While the Chase did not end as hoped for, the 2009 season was a big feather in the cap for Brian Vickers and the Red Bull Racing Team.


AWAY FROM THE OVAL OFFICE
When not bouncing between races, his business office and residence in Palm Beach Florida, as well as getaway spots in Charlotte and New York City, Brian also likes to partake in the typical and mundane activities you¹d expect from a Red Bull athlete - mountain biking, scuba diving, golf and his most recent venture - skydiving. If nothing else though, a good round of 18 is a nice way to spend the day.

And attending Charlotte Bobcats basketball games, Carolina Panthers and New York Giants football, as well as Yankees Baseball is always a great time!