.jpg)
Brian Vickers and the No. 83 team were underdogs from the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup but now with lagging finishes only three races into 10-race playoffs, they might soon be seen as lonely dogs. Falling 250 points behind leader Mark Martin is no comfortable spot to start the next race all the way across the USA to California. Being tagged as last in the Chase is no honor either. The post-race mood of Vickers says much.
“I just want to get out of Kansas to be honest,” Vickers said. “We started out a little tight. It got worse and worse. The engine was the only thing that just put us out of our misery.”
So the team has to put all behind and realize that seven races remain. They can recover. It’s all uphill, but they can excel and move up.
Given that nine of the Chase contenders finished in the top 10 in Kansas it shows how strong teams work to get that Cup. Every race counts. Every point is precious.
Falling behind early is a plunge that usually means elimination. Right now that ominous math does not exist.
Vickers pondered the math.
“Anything is possible,” Vickers said. “I don’t think we’re out of it yet but it definitely doesn’t help. It hurts quite a bit.”
Comments