Double Ouch!

Brian Vickers’ day came to a crawling halt. Mike Skinner’s never got going.

The No. 83 qualified 40th for the Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Speedway, but 500 laps allowed for plenty of scenarios to play out and Vickers — thanks to pit strategy — found himself running second before the lap-400 mark. Red Bull Racing Team’s second top 10 of the season was within reach, that was until the gas tank ran dry in the closing laps.

He and the Bull Crew had been entertaining hopes of a sudden rain shower so fuel never became an issue. No dice. Vickers was forced to pit under green and ended up three laps down in 23rd.

The No. 83 remained 18th in owner points, but Vickers slipped a spot in the driver standings to 18th. “It’s just really disappointing because I know we had a top-20 finish for the second-straight race and had something take us out of the running at the end,” he said.

Skinner, in the No. 84, salvaged a 31st-place finish even though he got the worst of racing side by side with Robby Gordon. Not long after, at lap 105, the spinning car of Sam Hornish Jr. sucked Skinner in. “I just tried to stay out of the way of the leaders (the rest of the race),” Skinner said.

On to Texas.

Saturday’s news: Scott Speed finished 10th after starting 17th in the Kroger 250 — only his second Craftsman Truck start in Morgan-Dollar Motorsports’ No. 46. Now it’s back to ARCA and the April 13 race in Salem, Ind.

Slowing Down a Little

Scott Speed has an itchy trigger foot. He’s desperate to finally press the pedal in the middle because oval-track racing requires little or no braking. But that’s not the case at Martinsville, where the red-hot glow of burning brakes partially defines racing at NASCAR’s shortest track.

Driving Morgan Dollar Motorsports’ Red Bull-sponsored No. 46, Speed will start 17th in his second Craftsman Truck race in today’s Kroger 250 (3 p.m. ET, Fox). It’s an ideal situation for Speed — racing at a track where tight turns are separated by long straightaways. At Martinsville, it’s all about entry and exit.

“Actually used the brakes quite a lot. It’s been a while since I used those,” Speed said. “For an oval, (Martinsville) felt the most natural. The corners are pretty low banked. Driving those corners felt like driving on corners I have my whole life.”

On a side truck note, Mike Skinner, who drives the No. 84 in Sprint Cup, is going for a Martinsville three-peat. He swept both truck races last season at the .526-mile track, and he’s the series’ only three-time winner at Martinsville. His first victory came in the fall 1996, and he’ll start 20th today.

To the Highest Bidder Goes ...

Only a few more days remain to bid on a two-wheel ride with Travis Pastrana, a day of drifting with Rhys Millen or sitting shotgun with Brian Vickers. All are Red Bull athletes, and all will give the highest bidder the experience of a lifetime.

The first Wings for Life Charity Auction on Ebay ends March 30. Among the items up for bid include a Formula One car and Dakar Rally-winning KTM bike. It doesn’t end there, so click here.

The Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit organization that promotes research worldwide to find a putative cure for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Paralysis. Visit www.wingsforlife.com.

Speed Likes ‘The Rock’

A unique twist to the ARCA season comes May 4 when the series visits Rockingham Speedway — the former North Carolina Speedway located about 75 miles east of Charlotte, N.C. Then and there, ARCA competitors will battle it out at a track that has baffled even the best stock car drivers for decades.

Rockingham, which hosted NASCAR events from 1965 to 2004, is no run-of-the-mill one-mile track. It’s high banked, nasty and known for munching rubber at an alarming rate. Yet Scott Speed got along with “The Rock” just fine over the weekend.

Speed, in the Eddie Sharp Racing Red Bull Toyota, posted the top speed of a two-day ARCA test Friday and Saturday, turning a lap at 144.335 mph (24.942 seconds). It sounds as if Speed already has a handle on priority No. 1 — tire management.

“The tires go away in a hurry,” Speed said. “They lose grip right away, so the drivers that manage their tires the most effectively will the guys you’ll see up front. You’ve got to slow yourself down as the tires lose grip.”

The top five (for the complete list, click here):
1. Scott Speed, Toyota, 144.335
2. Michael Annett, Toyota, 144.208
3. Justin Marks, Toyota, 143.472
4. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 142.993
5. Joey Logano, Chevrolet, 142.885

Red Bull Bracketologists

Our analysts aren’t the caliber of ESPN’s Dickie V or Digger, but Red Bull Racing Team has its own crack staff of bracketologists. Below, they weigh in on the NCAA tournament.

AJ Allmendinger, No. 84 driver — Final Four: North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and UCLA. Champion: Kansas defeats Texas. Analysis: “We’re going all Big 12 in the championship game. But I like Kansas. They’re just too tough. They have been all year. If you need any help with your bracketology, just call me.”

Jay Frye, general manager and vice president — Final Four: Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas and Texas A&M. Champion: Texas defeats any Big 12 team. Analysis: Being a former football player at the University of Missouri, Frye refuses to pick hated rival Kansas to do anything significant.

Aaron Schields, No. 83 front tire carrier, Kansas native and former University of Kansas student — Final Four: Tennessee, Kansas, Memphis and Duke. Champion: Kansas defeats Duke. Analysis: “I’ve studied the bracket, mulled it over many times. Kansas has depth and senior leadership. We’ve been there before and know what it takes.”

Ben Cook, strength and conditioning coach and Tar Heel through and through — Final Four: North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and UCLA. Champion: UCLA defeats North Carolina. Analysis: “My heart says North Carolina, but the sensible pick is UCLA. I’m worried about (UNC guard) Ty Lawson and his injury. He’s a catalyst, and we need someone to get the ball into Tyler Hansbrough.”

Two more to chew on …

Shaun Peet, No. 83 jack man — Final Four: Tennessee, Kansas, Stanford and UCLA. Champion: Kansas defeats UCLA.

Brian Dheel, No. 84 catch can man — Final Four: North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and UCLA. Champion: Kansas defeats UCLA.

Stunning Stunt Man

As a stunt bike rider, Christian Pfeiffer craves flat asphalt surfaces. He found none of that in his recent trip to NASCAR land.

Before Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Pfeiffer, a 37-year-old Red Bull-backed rider from Germany, braved the concrete high banks of Bristol on his modified BMW F800. He treated the towering grandstands to a variety of tricks and wheelies on the 36-degree banking.

The crowd, by its ovation, was obviously entertained — and that was after he worked the grounds of Thunder Valley in the days before the big show.

“It’s awesome. It’s very American,” Pfeiffer said of his first NASCAR experience. “The stadium is just terrific. I have no words. We have big soccer stadiums in Europe. But we have no big motorsports stadiums. Just an incredible experience for me to ride here. And to go in third gear through the banking … was (expletive) awesome.”

A day later, Pfeiffer made his way down the mountain to Mooresville, N.C. Most members of Red Bull Racing Team took a few minutes out of their busy day to watch Pfeiffer do his thing on the undulating surface outside the shop.

Read up on “CP” at his Web site — www.chrispfeiffer.com.

Getting Medieval on Your …

The folks in Formula One scoff at the tools of the trade in NASCAR. Little do they know, however, that some of these medieval-looking items work wonders at places like Bristol Motor Speedway, where contact between automobiles is the norm rather than the exception.

Mike Metcalf, the catch-can man for Red Bull Racing’s No. 83 team, was kind enough to take a moment out of a busy Sunday morning to break down what the F1 paddock can’t fathom ever using during competition. But these tools are essential to surviving 500 laps around the Bristol bullring.

+ Two mechanical saws (replacement blades included). Instead of repairing damage, get rid of it because there is no time to waste when rivals are turning 16-second laps.

+ Rubber tie downs. For times when the nose and rear end are hanging on for dear life.

+ An assortment of hammers. Some big, some small. Some rubber, some wooden. Can’t have a tire rub.

+ Two 26-inch, 16-ounce Easton bats. As Metcalf described, “They’ve seen better days.”

Tune into Fox Sports at 2 p.m. ET for the Food City 500.

(By the way, in the season-opening F1 race in Australia, Sebastien Bourdais finished seventh in his debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso. The other Seb — Sebastian Vettel — failed to complete a lap after a first-corner incident, as did Mark Webber in the Red Bull Renault. David Coulthard retired after 25 laps.)

Stop and Shop

Should you and the kids be traveling like Clark and the Griswolds (we hope you’re not in the Family Truckster) through the Mooresville, N.C., area in search of NASCAR swag that isn’t gaudy and ridiculous, there’s a place tucked quietly away in Lakeside Business Park.

Red Bull Racing Team’s in-shop store is open. Within our store is everything you need to look fashionable at the race track while supporting Red Bull Racing Team and the Nos. 83 and 84, including 22 styles of men’s T-shirts, three zip-up men’s sweatshirts, five women’s T-shirts and nine hats. There are other items, including die-casts, but the list is too long to mention.

Get off Interstate 77 at exit 36. At the first light, bust a left on Rolling Hill Road. Turn right onto Knob Hill Road, and there we are — Red Bull Racing Team, 136 Knob Hill Road. Park. Get out. Walk in. And spend … then spend some more.

It’s that easy. And you won’t look like a billboard at your next race.

P.S.: Stay tuned for updates on Red Bull Racing Team’s online store.

Truckin', "Bama"-style

Looks like Brian Vickers isn't the only wheel-man on the #83 crew. The team's quick start to the 08 season is even happening outside of NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

Hauler driver Mike "Bama" Williams recently participated in Round 1 the "Freightliner 2008 Run Smart Challenge" in Las Vegas - and won! The race was open to all NASCAR Sprint Cup hauler drivers, of which 32 participated. The drivers manuevered around a course of cones set up on the front stretch of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, gaining (and losing) points along the way. They were tested on skills such as parallel parking and backing up around curves, losing points for knocking down cones, gaining points for skill and speed.

In case you are wondering, they did not use the actual race haulers - since that could really cause some problems for the team! Instead, each hauler driver demonstrated their skills using Freightliner’s Coronado model.

The challenge is not over yet, though. The drivers will compete in four other races throughout the year - twice at Lowe's Motor Speedway, once at Chicagoland Speedway and once at Kansas Speedway. The ultimate goal - win the 1st place prize of $35,000.00 - plus bragging rights throughout the Cup garage for a year. Bama won Round 1 with a time of 4:13, and secured 490 points.

We will keep you posted on his progress throughout the season.

Points Game

The 4th race in the NSCS season finally saw both Red Bull Toyota's in the field. Brian Vickers No. 83 team had a race full of highlights including knocking off 10 positions in just 20 laps, earning the free pass to get his lap back on two separate occasions, leading a lap for five bonus points, and being one of only 13 cars to finish the race on the lead lap. The No. 83 earned their first top-10 finish of the year. The Bull Crew moved from 13th to 9th in the overall points standings, locking them into the top-35 after next weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Brian's response? "Sweet!" Mike Skinner captured a 27th-place finish, bumping the No. 84 up in the overall points standings, from 46th to 43rd. The 36-race season requires steady progress like a marathon, not a sprint, marking round 1 with Skinner a success.

Speed's First Time Truckin'

Red Bull driver Scott Speed made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, earning 27th in the No. 46 Red Bull truck. The stock-truck rookie had no qualms “throwing himself off the deep end,” knocking out three firsts – his first NCTS run, first night race, and first time lapping a 1.5-mile speedway.

“It took me a couple laps to get my truck sorted and race-ready, but as soon as I got going, it was a crash course in learning how the truck handles running in traffic with a pack of other Trucks," Speed said. "It was so cool to race these guys hard, but also cool to watch the more experienced drivers just pick off trucks through the field. It was such a different experience from anything I’ve ever done before, but I’m always different. Come on, I had white hair three months ago.”

Up next in the Speed Report: NCTS race at Martinsville Speedway on March 29.

Illume Lights Up Atlanta

The Red Bull Illume Exhibit Tour made its East Coast debut Wednesday in Atlanta, offering visitors an incredible “illumination” of the best in action and adventure sports photography.

Red Bull Illume set out to find the 50 best raw moments in action and adventure sports. Photography experts from around the world judged and hand-selected 50 images from the 7,200 submissions received from photographers in more than 90 countries.

The images already visited Aspen, Colo., Huntington Beach, Calif., and Portland, Ore., and they’ll dazzle crowds at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park through March 16. Twenty-five eight-foot glass and metal cubes light up the park each evening from dusk until 11 p.m., revealing the most dramatic compilation of action and adventure sports photography ever assembled.

“I’ve seen a lot of those, now I want most of those pictures for my new house,” said AJ Allmendinger, the Red Bull racer who took in the exhibit with fellow driver Scott Speed on Wednesday. “But I don’t think the whole Illume setup would fit in my basement.”

Visit www.redbullillume.com.

Red Bulls on Film

This season we will continue bringing you new Red Bull Racing Team video clips at www.redbullracingusa.com. Check out the schedule below to see when new clips will be posted, and which races will be covered in each...

* March 31 - Atlanta, Bristol, Martinsville
* April 28 - Texas, Phoenix, Talladega
* May 26 - Richmond, Darlington, 2 weeks in Charlotte
* June 23 - Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Infineon
* July 14 - Loudon, Daytona, Chicago
* July 21 - Mid-Season highlight video
* August 4 - Indy, Pocono
* August 25 - Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol
* September 15 - California, Richmond, Loudon
* September 29 - Dover, Kansas
* October 13 - Talladega, Lowe’s
* October 27 - Martinsville, Atlanta
* November 3 - Texas
* November 17 - Phoenix, Homestead
* December 8 - End-of-Season highlight video

A new video covering California and Las Vegas was posted today. Enjoy!

Skinner Temporarily Replaces AJ

Red Bull Racing Team has confirmed that veteran NASCAR driver Mike Skinner will temporarily replace AJ Allmendinger in the No. 84 Red Bull Camry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series effective this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Skinner, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, currently races full-time in the No. 5 Toyota Tundra. "We’re at a crossroads where we need to make a change that will elevate the No. 84 team to success," said VP and General Manager Jay Frye. "AJ’s our guy and he’s a talented driver, but there’s a lot being asked of him. In order for him to be successful, we have to get this team pointed in the right direction. We hope we can do that with the help of a veteran driver." Skinner’s history with Red Bull Racing Team dates back to 2006 when he served as a test driver for the team. Skinner’s history with Allmendinger also dates back to 2006, when he mentored teammate Allmendinger during the rookie’s part-time ride with Bill Davis Racing NCTS team. Frye hopes with the help of Skinner, that RBRT will have the program turned around and the ride returned to Allmendinger in no time.

The Vegas Line

Two hours to post time in Las Vegas. Place your bets.

If you’re a betting man – or woman – and want some action on Brian Vickers and Red Bull Racing Team’s No. 83, you better look to “the field.” Vickers is lumped in the “any other driver” category and sits at 50-1 to win today’s UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Should Vickers, who rolls off 43rd, find his way to the front when the checkered flag falls, an $83 bet, for example, would net $4,150. Not a bad payday.

The favorites? Jeff Gordon 5-1, Kyle Busch 6-1, Carl Edwards 6-1, Jimmie Johnson 6-1, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7-1 and Matt Kenseth 7-1.

Tune into Fox Sports for the green flag at 4:30 p.m. ET.

BV: Mr. Extremist

BV, the No. 83 driver who sits 11th in the Sprint Cup standings, completed his first solo skydive earlier this month with the Red Bull Air Force. On Thursday, he took on air racing. Vickers rode in the "Red Bull Edge" — an aerobatic aircraft piloted by 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series champion Kirby Chambliss, whose flying style is described as aggressive yet smooth. It’s a good thing the 48-year-old Chambliss has won five U.S. National Aerobatic championships, because the Edge can climb 3,700 feet per minute and reach speeds up to 265 miles per hour.
The Edge is a two-seater, and Vickers rode up front. At times, Chambliss gave Vickers the chance to control the plane because BV’s seat had passenger controls. Unlike most passengers, BV is used to feeling g-forces, so he didn't lose his lunch, but he admitted - it was one wild ride!