New Paint!

When AJ's golf cart arrived at the track Friday, it was sporting a spiffy, new paint job. When he purchased it earlier in the season, it's previous owner had painted it yellow all over, which didn't make it look very "bad ass." Michael Corby of Corby Concepts stepped in to help. Michael has been designing AJ's helmets since he first began professionally driving racecars. A fun fact about Michael - A year ago, he organized the first and only Red Bull helmet art show, which brought out the top 12 helmet painters in the world in conjunction with a F1 race - and Michael himself is one of the top 12.

Since Michael has always done such a great job on AJ's hemets, AJ decided to ask him to pimp out his golf cart, too. It only took Michael a week to complete the job.

Most of the driver's have golf carts at the track, and everyone likes to see who has the fastest and best looking golf cart in the driver/owner motorcoach lot. What do you think of AJ's new colors?

Radio Chatter: Indy

Last time we let you in on a little radio chatter, we had some pretty funny banter going on back and forth between BV and the No. 83 crew. Things were a little tamer at Indy, so we’ll give you a bit of the funny and a bit of business coming through the No. 83 airwaves…

BV: I think the 6 car just got into my left front fender.
David Green: What happened?
BV: He was driving like a ‘donkey.’ (donkey: edited for a g-rated audience)

BV: Hey guys, I think I lost a battery or an alternator.
Doug Richert: Ok, let’s only run the blowers that we have to run. Go to battery 2 by itself. Make sure battery 1 isn’t draining battery 2. If we keep all of our switches off, we should be able to finish the race on this battery.
BV: Ok, it seems to be working again.
Doug Richert: Stay on battery 2. There must be a short in the system. Keep running her until she dies.
BV: 10-4
Doug Richert: Drive the wheels off of her. Be careful.

NASCAR '08

Even though AJ missed today's race, he has been making the most of his time here and went to all his scheduled appearances this morning. One of them was the EA Sports/NEXTEL launch of the new NASCAR '08 game for PlayStation 3. AJ was joined by Reed Sorenson and Greg Biffle. The guys had some fun with each other as they played the qualifying part of the game against each other. Even though Reed is on pole for today's race at the Brickyard, he wasn't able to grab the pole in the video game!

As they left, each guy was given a copy of the game, which they were all pumped about. The cool thing about this new version of the game is it includes both Red Bull cars. And they look just like the real thing. AJ and race engineer Phil have already broken out the game and started driving the No. 84 around IMS.

Tune in to ESPN at 2:00 pm today to see Brian and the No. 83 car in action. AJ will be around to root them on, too!

Get a Little Loose Going Into Turn 1

“You’re here, we’re here. When the garage is closed, the Red Bull Energy Station is open. We’ve got the essentials. You just need your hard card.*Red Bull is not liable for any tight or loose conditions occurring before or after the event.” That’s how the invites for last night’s NASCAR industry party at the Red Bull Energy Station read. Other teams have been curious all year to see just what goes on inside the trackside 2-story glass and steel structure, yet it’s hard to score an invite. We figured it was about time to let them in on the mystery. Hundreds of crew guys and gals poured into the Energy Station last night for tunes, brews, food, and Red Bulls. Teams were mixing and mingling until last call at 11 pm. Yeah, that’s an early night for a party, but early to bed, early to rise – the garage opened at 7 am this morning.

Rainy Friday in Indy

Well after a long, rainy day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Brian and AJ were never able to take the track in their Red Bull machines. NASCAR officials called all on-track activity for the day.

Saturday's revised schedule:

8:30 - 11:00 am PRACTICE

4:00 pm QUALIFYING (Impound immediately following Qualifying)

Brian will go out to qualify 9th, and AJ 34th.

We do have something to look forward to tonight though. When the garage closes, the Red Bull Energy Station opens its doors to the NASCAR garage and anyone with a hard card can come take shelter from the rain for good food, drinks and music.

Indy and American Dreams

Let’s see … Is it possible to rank the significance of a Nextel Cup race? The Daytona 500, NASCAR’s annual Super Bowl of stock-car racing, clearly is No. 1. Teams spend an entire winter prepping for the greatest of all American races. Even a United States president, Ronald Reagan, thought the 500 was worthy of his presence in 1984.

The pecking order after that, however, is open for debate. Anyone who is involved in making a 3,400-pound, full-bodied race car go fast will tell you the Brickyard 400 — err, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard — is right up there. The 600-mile race at Charlotte deserves a podium finish, as does the old Southern 500 at Darlington, which had been on every driver’s to-do list.

But the Brickyard is the Brickyard. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a gargantuan facility steeped in motorsports history that deserves its own zip code, is a race every driver — Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger included — is gunning for. So big is Indy that a winning driver, his team and entourage kneel down to smooch a three-foot-wide stretch of dust-covered bricks at the start-finish line. That public show of affection is displayed nowhere else on the Nextel Cup circuit.

Does that make Indy No. 2 on the list of biggest NASCAR races? Whatever your opinion might be, BV loves the place. In three starts, twice he has rolled off from the fifth position, and he finished third in 2005.

Cup meets MotoGP

Well we promised you some pictures from AJ's weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Moto GP event at Laguna Seca and here they are! We think the weekend lived up to most of his expectations. Among the things AJ was able to do: drive the #84 Cup car around the course for 10 minutes Saturday and Sunday - in front of a crowd of 143,000 (which you can see in the photo above); go on the grid before Sunday's race and mingle with drivers and celebs; and walk around the paddock area with crew chief Ricky, his dad and other friends. AJ and his guests spent any down time hanging out in the Red Bull Energy Station.

The fans really took a liking to his Cup car and the noise it made when AJ revved the engine. And of course whenever AJ emerged from the car, he immediately drew a crowd of people wanting pictures and autographs. Media also took notice.

Ricky said his favorite part of the weekend was being able to ride in the pace car around the track for 2 laps on Saturday. His favorite part of the track? The cork screw!

You can see the start of last Sunday's race in the photo on the right. Australian Casey Stoner was the eventual winner, leading all 32 laps.

Thanks Toyota!

Once a month the team gets together for a team lunch prior to our Tuesday team meeting. Today, the folks at Toyota West were nice enough to provide a catered lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone to chow down on. Red Bull employees have given the dealership a lot of business so far this year, so as a thank you, Toyota West decided to raffle off a few items. Given out were 2 gift certificates for an oil change and tire rotation, 2 gift certificates for car detailing, 2 $250 gift certificates for their parts department, and one free suit (yes, a nice men's suit). The pit crew definitely came out on top as 5 of them won prizes!

Also on hand was a new suped-up Tundra that the guys could look over (see the photo above)... everyone seemed quite impressed!

Races, People! Races!

Want to know the speed of AJ’s qualifying lap at Bristol? Want to know how much Brian earned in the Nextel All-Star Challenge? Want to know what Red Bull Racing had to say for itself after a disappointing showing at Daytona?

Finally, it’s all right there for you to peruse in the new Races section at www.teamredbull.com. The new addition to our Web site went live earlier today.

Go to the home page. Look for the word Races at the top. Click on that, and that will take you to a comprehensive collection of stats, summaries, quotes and track graphics regarding Red Bull Racing’s initial foray into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. You can archive anything from any point in the season.

Of course, we’re still working on the Races section, ironing out a glitch here and a bug there. But it’s now the record of Red Bull Racing. And keep an eye out for a new-and-improved NASCAR section in the coming weeks.

Speed, and Size to Go with It

Nowhere in an Internet search for “world’s largest sporting facilities” does it deliver Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A behemoth of a stadium tops the list — Rungrado May Day Stadium in North Korea. Its capacity for what we call soccer is 150,000. American-style football posted a top-five finish, as the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., seats 107,501 dressed in maize and blue.

Indy, Red Bull Racing’s next stop for the Allstate 400, trumps them all. With permanent seating for more than 257,000 and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, the Brickyard is the father of pedestrian traffic. Daytona is second (168,000) and Lowe’s third (165,000).

Five of the 22 tracks on the Nextel Cup schedule seat more than the North Korean soccer stadium. Eleven of them are bigger than Michigan Stadium.

NASCAR sometimes gets no love.

'08 SWAG

There’s no time like the present to start planning for next year. We rolled out some rockin’ anti-traditional NASCAR goods this year on the merch trailer, but next year we’re stepping it up a few more notches. Check out these Charging Red Bulls in the pic…are they on a hat, a t-shirt, a backpack? Nope, it’s a hoodie. Our clothing partner, Puma, sent over some samples of goods to check out for next year. Some we loved, some we tossed aside, and some are still getting voted on. We’d show you more, but we wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for next year. For 2007 Red Bull Racing merch, buy it online…

Off Weekend...What's That??

Most of us that work in racing rarely hear the words "off weekend" or "down time," but that is exactly what everyone at Red Bull Racing will be facing this weekend. As one of 2 off weekends mixed into the 38-week Cup race schedule - and the last one before the end of the season - most are planning to take advantage of having some time away from the race track.

Brian will be spending his time in Charleston, SC with some friends just relaxing and getting rejuvenated for next week. AJ and some friends and family are heading to Monterey, CA to take in the Red Bull MotoGP U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. He will be Red Bull's special guest for the weekend, and will even have the opportunity to drive his #84 Cup car around the course for 10 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. (We will be sure to show you pictures and tell you all about everything next week). This is an event he has wanted to attend for the past couple of years, but his racing schedule has never made that possible. Needless to say, he is pumped!

As far as the travel crew, many are staying around town to spend time with family, friends and loved ones that they rarely get to see on the weekends. And of course many are planning to get out of town for the weekend.

We hope everyone enjoys the time off because after this weekend we race for 17 consecutive weeks - every weekend from July 29 through November 18!

3 and 5: Significant Digits

The numbers three and five carry plenty of weight in the world of motorsports. Put the two together, and you get 35 — the desired location for Red Bull Racing’s two Toyotas in the Nextel Cup car owner standings.
Three alone can mean a podium finish in open-wheel racing, whether it be at Eldora or Monaco. It also was the car number of the late Dale Earnhardt. Two threes side by side reads 33 — the amount of cars that make up the 11 rows of three in the Indianapolis 500.
Five, despite being two digits behind, is just as significant. Brian Vickers earned Red Bull Racing’s first top-five finish in May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Five is the number of bonus points earned for leading a lap, and 55 mph is usually the maximum speed allowed on pit road.
And then there’s 35 itself. In 2008, the top 35 from 2007 will determine the starting lineup for races. And that rule — you guessed it — lasts for the first five races.
If you’re keeping score, Brian sits 40th in owner points — 443 points out of the top 35. AJ Allmendinger is 47th. A lot or work to do with 17 races remaining, and the climb continues at Indianapolis.

Outside Looking In

As everyone knows, the past month has been a tough one at the race track for Red Bull Racing. It is definitely not from a lack of effort. We know our cars are capable of being competitive week in and week out - however each week we must first overcome the obstacle of qualifying just to have the chance to race on Sundays. Just how hard is it outside of the coveted Top-35? Well an interesting stat was brought up in our team meeting today. The current points leader Jeff Gordon would have missed 3 races already this season, had he started the year outside of the Top-35 in points and remained there, like AJ and Brian have. This season in the garage area you hear a lot of talk about the Top-35 rule. Many see pro's to the rule, and many others see con's. This is the first season where so many competitive teams, carrying big-named sponsors, have been trying to make the field each week - and the first time so many competitive drivers and teams have gone home (and some on a regular basis). NASCAR is currently evaluating the rule, but has yet to make a decision for the 2008 season. What do you think? Should the Top-35 rule be changed?

Racin' the Bases

Vickers was sporting his Racing the Bases charity softball game jersey last Thursday in Joliet, IL. The jersey was of course complete with his signature number 83 (yes folks, the 8.3 ounces reference still applies here.) Vickers said he’s no softball player, but anything goes for charity. Vickers choice position? He manned second base. Racin’ the Bases has been going strong for over 3 years and raised over $140,000 for Victory Junction Gang Camp. Vickers teamed up with fellow Cup driver Kurt Busch, media personalities, and local Chicago celebs to take home the win. Check out pics of BV at Silver Cross field here.

Are You Superstitious?

If you weren't before today - you might be now. It's Friday the 13th and Red Bull Racing's No. 83 and No. 84 Red Bull Camry's are going home from Chicagoland Speedway. That's right folks - no green flag, no checkered flag, and no racing in between for this team. Crew Chief Doug Richert summed it up best for Vickers crew with, "From the time we unloaded off the hauler, to the time we qualified, our car was just junk." Allmendinger's No. 84 crew found some speed during practice and was cruising along in 22nd on the speed charts, but couldn't pull off the lap they needed on their qualifying run. It's back to the drawing board...

Sexy Back!

As AJ is very fond of bringing up in interviews - he is "bringing sexy back to NASCAR." It's often been the topic of discussion, and most interviewers want to know how he plans to do this. A few weeks ago (if you recall the blog) AJ was a featured guest of a press luncheon sponsored by Infineon Raceway. From the press junket came a lot of local TV and newspaper hits about AJ, who is a fan favorite being the hometown kid. One local tv station in San Francisco even went so far as to include a split screen of AJ and Justin Timberlake in their news broadcast and compare the similarities between the two. Rutledge from the SPEED Channel saw that report and had to interview AJ about it the following day. They definitely had some fun with it. In the picture above, AJ is explaining to Rutledge how to perfect a hairstyle like his. So we want to know - is AJ bringing sexy back? You decide!

Nothing Like an Intermediate

Intermediate tracks, as defined by NASCAR, are tracks that are one mile or more — but less than two miles — in length. It is a loosely used term, however, one that often disregards one-mile flat tracks and encompasses the wide, sweeping two-milers. Either way, Red Bull Racing has performed rather well on the so-called intermediates.

Red Bull Racing’s first top-five finish came at 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway with Brian Vickers at the wheel of the No. 83. The first-year team’s first top 10 came at two-mile California Speedway.

Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile venue outside of the Windy City, falls into the intermediate category. Chicago is the next stop on the Nextel Cup schedule, and there’s no doubt Brian and teammate AJ Allmendinger will ride the rail just like the “L” trains do through downtown Chicago.

AJ heads to Chicago for the first time, but Brian has been there and done that. He has never started outside the top five, nor has he finished outside the top 15, including a fourth-place showing in 2005.

Radio Chatter

You'd think drivers wouldn’t be joking around with their team when they’re running in the Daytona draft at speeds over 200mph – but you’d be surprised what comes over the team radio during a race. We can’t share everything heard over the Red Bull Racing airwaves (some of AJ’s funny comments also happen to be R-rated language!), but we will let you in on some of the humor...


Daytona Chatter 1:
Brian Vickers: “You guys up on the pit box stay cool. I don’t want to have to come into the pits and get you any water.”
Doug Richert: “If we have any extra water, we’ll throw it down to you.”

Daytona Chatter 2:
Brian Vickers: “Hey David (spotter), do you see any lightning?
David Green: “Nope, the radar is clear.”
Brian Vickers: “Why don’t you hold an umbrella up real high and if we don’t hear from you, we’ll know why.”
Doug Richert: “David, he was just kidding.”
David Green: “I was hoping so!”

Inside Nextel Cup

You got it – BV is guest appearing again on Inside Nextel Cup. Shhh, don't tell SPEED we leaked these - here’s a sneak peak at the hot topics BV, Biffle, Waltrip and Despain debated:

*Qualifying gets rained out – sorting out NASCAR’s rules for setting the last 8 spots.
*Fans were cheering for Juan Pablo when he joined NASCAR, but have cheers turned to jeers?
*Teammates Hamlin and Stewart wreck at Daytona – who’s to blame?
*McMurray – from a black flag to the win.

Tune in tonight at 8 PM (EST) on SPEED...

250+400 = R and R

Vickers made his first Busch debut of the year this , and an early morning it was with the green flag for the Winn-Dixie 250 falling at 9:22 AM. Vickers started from 12th on the grid and ran as high as 7th position early on before bringing the No. 32 Toyota home in 13th. 250 miles down - 400 to go. BV is running a double header today with the Cup race scheduled for tonight at 8 PM on TNT (fingers crossed that the rain god don't decide to soak Daytona again today!). He’ll have about a 6 hour break before the drivers meeting starts at 6 PM. What will he be doing during his break? A Red Bull merchandise trailer signing and you got it – a lot of R&R – rest and re-hydration. Catch BV in the Busch Series again in October at his hometown track of Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Gift from the Racing Gods

OK, the 83 snuck into the show. The gods that produce large amounts of precipitation enough to cover 2.5 miles of asphalt four lanes wide gave Red Bull Racing a gift at just the right time.
The first words out of crew chief Doug Richert’s mouth acknowledged that the 83 wasn’t fastest enough when it counted in Friday’s qualifying at Daytona. No matter, the numbers finally worked in Red Bull Racing’s favor. Because BV won last October’s Nextel Cup race at Talladega, he was — based on the official title of “2006 race winner” — locked into the field when NASCAR determined that it was too wet to continue. That earned him the 36th starting position for the 400-miler.
BV is now putting in two shifts Saturday. The rain continued, and the Busch Series race was postponed until 9 a.m. Eastern. Later on at 8 p.m., he goes green in the Cup car.

Poetry in Motion

Brian Vickers is back in Busch.
But trust us, this duty is far from cush.

He’ll wrestle the banking with Braun.
If there’s rain, NASCAR will stay here ’til dawn.

The former champ’s other task is the draft,
Where BV is known to kick some serious ass.

The ultimate goal, however, is riding the Red Bull.
And taking the Nextel Cup field to school.

It won’t be easy,
Because in July, Daytona’s surface is rather greasy.

Handling and horsepower can make it or break it,
And plate racing can stir up some serious $%&*!

So go Brian, go AJ, go Red Bull Racing.
Good luck Friday in qualifying.

Round Two in Season No. 1

NASCAR is all about numbers, and this weekend’s 400-mile race at Daytona International Speedway marks the halfway point in Red Bull Racing’s first season in Nextel Cup. So for those that are starving, here are a few numbers to digest.
- No Toyota has finished higher than the Red Bull driven by Brian Vickers, who ran fifth in NASCAR’s longest race in May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He led 76 laps in the 600.
- Vickers owns four top-15 finishes. His first finish in the No. 83 was a top 10 at California.
- Rookie AJ Allmendinger qualified for six consecutive races, from May’s race at Richmond to last month’s event at Michigan.
- Allmendinger placed his No. 84 in the 13th starting position at Richmond.

Step Right Up...

…and get your hands on some Red Bull Racing gear! For the shop-based guys, it’s not so easy to get team swag with the merchandise trailer traveling the race schedule, so we thought we’d bring the swag to them. The merch trailer set up in the back corner of the parking lot so the team guys could sneak in some quick shopping on their lunch break. The 53-foot trailer took up 15 spots of hard-to-come-by parking, but who’s complaining? The Roach Coach is the only other option for shop-side shopping and I’ll bet the wives didn’t have hot dogs in mind when they told their hubbies to bring them home something good. Sweating that they bought up all the merchandise? No need to – there’s still plenty left. Get your swag on here.

Aloha!

While we wish our last race (or any NASCAR race for that matter) was in Hawaii, we can’t lie and say it was. But what’s closer to Aloha heaven than Aloha Restaurant in Manchester, NH? While they don’t actually serve Hawaiian food, they do serve up some mean Chinese and Polynesian dishes. The owners, Dianna and Archie, were patiently waiting for our arrival last Thursday – complete with welcome banners. We do have to admit we got a little bit of special treatment - Dianna’s brother Craig is one of the finest mechanics working on our team. Craig spilled us some dirt on Dianna telling us that for a long time she thought Red Bull was a type of beer. One day she got her hands on a can (realized it wasn’t beer after all) and has been serving it at Aloha ever since! (See pic of mechanics Ben & Matt at Aloha.)

Red Bull Road Warriors

Think Brian and AJ drive long distances in one sitting? They have nothing on the drivers of Red Bull Racing’s two transporters. Keep in mind, the cargo these guys smuggle across state lines is quite valuable, so there’s no room for error and no time for tardiness.
Scott Denton and Mike Williams man the 83 truck. Jim Gilbert and Tom Czoka work the 84 hauler. Their most recent cross-county journey was to Sonoma, Calif., and Scott revealed it took he and Mike 48 hours to return home. That’s 48 non-stop hours of fuel-only stops while one drives and the other sleeps.
An unofficial and inexact study through MapQuest revealed just how far Red Bull Racing’s two transporters have traveled for race competition, this being the halfway point of the 38-race schedule:
— Longest trip: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (5,614 miles round-trip).
— Shortest trip: Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (56 miles round-trip, twice).
— Total mileage: 31,150 miles. The circumference of the Earth at the equator, for the record, is 24,901.55 miles.
— Total driving time: 494 hours, not including unexpected lapses in momentum (i.e., traffic). That’s the equivalent of driving from Mooresville to Charlotte every day for the next 2.7 years.
Only 19 more trips to go.