Red Bull Leaving NASCAR At End Of Year

So much for that idea...

This makes sense on a couple of fronts...

1) The energy drink market has become so fractured that Red Bull has lost market share in the US- regardless of the amount of competition...

2) The team has struggled since it started in 2007- even as the trendsetter that brought in Toyota as a race car full-time. Brian Vickers failed to qualify for 13 of 36 races in '07. He finished 38th in the final Sprint Cup standings. AJ Allmendinger missed 19 races that year and was 43rd in the final points.

Jay Frye was brought on the next season as GM, and the team improved on the track. But Allmendinger was let go late in 2008 for Scott Speed...

Speed was let go at the end of last year and is currently suing Red Bull, according to ESPN's Marty Smith.

Here's Scott's take...
((HT: SpeedChannel/NASCAR/NASCARImages/youtube))


Vickers won a race in 2009, but was sidelined most of last year with blood clots.
((HT: XERB1090/ESPN on ABC/NASCAR))


The team has Kasey Kahne on loan from Hendrick Motorsports to go with Vickers this year, but Kahne has five top-10 finishes and is 19th in points and Vickers has five top-10 finishes and is 24th in points.

So, then there's stability...

3) NASCAR has been losing audience in the energy drink target demo: 18-34...

Red Bull's success in Formula One goes without saying as Sebastian Vettel has ruled the circuit this year...
((HT: FOM/youtube))


So, what would you do...???
Even with the guys looking for a major sponsor next year, they're still bailing...

Gordon Ends Winless Streak At Phoenix

((HT: NASCAR on FOX/NASCAR.com/youtube))

Jeff Gordon ended his 60-plus race winless streak by winning the five-five dollar-five dollar footlong-five race in Phoenix this afternoon...

Here's the Phoenix version of the "Big One" that involved 13 cars and knocked out some big names along the way...

Clint Bowyer wasn't a happy man...


And the HQ hopes that when Brian Vickers watches the video, he knows that Kenseth wasn't all entirely at fault...

Vickers Admits Heart Surgery Last Month

At a press conference at Bristol Saturday, NASCAR driver Brian Vickers says he had
heart surgery last month as part of his treatment for blood clots.

Vickers stopped racing in May when doctors discovered clots in his leg and lungs. He said a third clot was found in a finger on his left hand. He said he had surgery to close a hole in his heart, and another one to insert a stent into a vein in his left leg.

He says doctors found he suffers from something called May-Thurner syndrome, a blood clot disorder that increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Doctors say he's still okay to return to racing next season.

Here's a flashback to what Vickers did for his racing team...
Last season at Michigan...
((HT: nascarcrashes2/NASCAR/ESPN))

Vickers Out For Season

Brian Vickers will miss the remainder of the NASCAR season because of blood clots in his lungs and left leg.

Vickers was hospitalized last week after having chest pains during a visit to Washington, D.C. Testing revealed clots and Vickers missed the race at Dover.

He is is being treated with blood thinners, and his physician couldn't clear him to race because of the dangers of getting injured in a crash.

He also tried to lighten the mood at the Friday afternoon press conference announcing Team Red Bull's plans for the rest of 2010...

"I can actually race on blood thinners, I just can't crash," he smiled. "So I said 'OK, what if I don't crash?' "

Red Bull Racing GM Jay Frye said the team was still deciding how the rest of the season is going to work, but indicated Casey Mears could stay in the seat- the only exception would be on the two road races left on the NASCAR schedule.

Vickers said he planned to be back in the car next season.

Here's highlights of Vickers win at
((HT: BumpsNotes/NASCAR/NASCAR Media/ESPN/ABC))

Vickers Out For Three Months, Mears In For Red Bull...

((HT: ESPN/NASCAR))

David Newton has been all over the health issues of Brian Vickers- which the HQ feels sounds a lot like a predecessor to DVT...

Red Bull Racing says they're going to wait for final recommendations from doctors and that details of Vickers' prognosis will be announced on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he and and Red Bull GM Jay Frye will have a news conference.

Mike Massaro catches up with David Newton about the situation for the 83 car...


Here's the early stages of the news with Massaro and Terry Blount...

Brian Vickers: Now We Know

Yesterday, the HQ briefed you on NASCAR driver Brian Vickers and his "injury" that's keeping him out of this weekend's race. Apparently, he was hospitalized this week with blood clots in his legs and around his lungs.

Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye says Vickers is on medication and was hopeful of being released from the hospital today. Frye said Vickers complained of pain in his chest and checked in to a hospital. He says the team is not sure what caused the clots.

Frye says there is "no timetable" for Vickers' return.

The HQ is glad this was caught early on... our gut is that Vickers might have been in the early stages of deep vein thrombosis ((DVT)), the same diagnosis that felled NBC News David Bloom...

Here's what we're missing with Bloom not being around...
A flashback with his widow Melanie and Chip Reid...
((HT: MSNBC/tvnewsernew))

Vickers out with Hockey Type injury...

Much like a hockey player with an "Upper Body" injury, NASCAR Racer Brian Vickers is out and in the hospital with an "Undisclosed Medical Condition".

The "Condition" will keep Vickers in the hospital and keep him from racing this week at Dover Speedway, Casey Mears will drive the #83 car.

More from FOX News/Sports RIGHT HERE

((Brian Vickers tries to determine his condition//Courtesy: Getty Images for NASCAR))

Vickers, who is a solid, if unspectacular racer with 2 wins to his credit will remain hospitalized until his condition can be determined. Red Bull Racing didn't say much more than that.

To see what his condition is, let's see what condition his condition is in. (For those unaware, check out the classic movie The Big Lebowski). Thanks You Tube:

Vickers: Busch "Out Of Strikes"

((HT: CP))

Brian Vickers ((pictured, thanks Harry How/Getty)) says Kyle Busch is "out of strikes" when it comes to how they race each other.

On Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Vickers was expecting to discuss Sunday's win at Michigan and his new contract with Red Bull Racing. Instead, he was peppered with questions about an argument with Busch following the Nationwide Race.

Vickers says "I'm just done," with Busch, and "he's out of rope."

The two were once teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, but have since joined new teams. They argued at the end of last Saturday's event when they raced each other so hard that Brad Keselowski was able to scoot past on the final lap to steal the Nationwide win.

Here's the Michigan race from last week as a reminder:

((HT: NASCAR/NASCAR Images/Youtube))

Apparently, Vickers still has forgotten it's the "Kyle Busch Show"

Vickers Signs Extension With Red Bull

((HT: CBSSports))

Brian Vickers was rewarded Tuesday for his win at Michigan with a multiyear contact extension from Red Bull Racing ((pictured, thanks NASCAR Images)).

Talks about a new contract had been ongoing for several months, with Vickers insistent he wanted to stay with the team. Although verbal agreements had been made, Austria-based ownership had been slow to present paperwork that would have finalized a deal.

It finally came Tuesday, two days after Vickers stretched his final tank of fuel to the first victory for Red Bull. The pole-sitter won when leader Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas with two laps left, giving Vickers just the second Sprint Cup Series win of his career.

"I'm thrilled," said Vickers, who had expressed frustration during the last month about the delayed contract talks. "This has been a long time coming, and there is nowhere else I would rather be. I am looking forward to building on what we have started the last couple of years."

Vickers left Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the 2006 season to be the face of the new Red Bull team. Established in Formula One, the organization was establishing itself in NASCAR and built its brand around Vickers.

They struggled terribly in 2007, when Vickers failed to qualify for 13 races and finished 38th in the final season standings. But Red Bull has slowly progressed, with Vickers a major part of the package.

His win Sunday moved him to 13th in the standings, and he's just 12 points out of a spot in the Chase for the championship. There are three races remaining to set the 12-driver field.

"It is an interesting experience being with a team from the ground up -- going through the growing pains, then successes, together," Vickers said. "I am so proud to have been able to bring this team their first win."

Here's the win that secured the new deal...
((HT: NASCAR/NASCAR Media/ESPN))

"I Forgot It Was The Kyle Busch Show..."

((HT: NASCAR.com/NASCAR Media/ESPN))



Brad Keselowski won the Nationwide Series race in front of a lot of friends, family, and supporters at Michigan International Speedway Saturday. He was laying "in the weeds" while Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers battled each other on the last lap. Effectively, they took each other out and Keselowski snuck past both for the win.

That wasn't the best part. The best part was that post-race stuff above these paragraphs.

Breakin' the Law! Breakin' the Law!

Trouble in the Pits...

It looks like another NASCAR Driver and Crew Chief are in trouble for...shall we say...bending the rules. Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 car, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz and crew chief Craig Smokstad all are in various forms of trouble with the Car Police. Take a look at the release:

For Immediate Release

No. 83 Team Penalized For Post-Race Inspection Infractions

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 22, 2008) – NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines to the No. 83 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rules infractions found on Tuesday during a Martinsville post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.
The car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-2.1-D (exterior sheet metal body parts did not meet the specified minimum thickness) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book.
As a result, both the crew chief, Kevin Hamlin, and the car chief, Craig Smokstad, have been suspended indefinitely from NASCAR. Additionally, Hamlin has been fined $100,000.
Driver Brian Vickers and owner Dietrich Mateschitz have been penalized with the loss of 150 driver and 150 owner points, respectively.

Oh well, it sucks to be them, but then again, since they aren't in the "Race for the Chase" or whatever it is that NASCAR calls there season ending countdown; it really doesn't matter, no racers seem to exsist unless they are in the top 12 and in the so-called chase. (Yes, that is a snarky editorial comment)

Thanks NASCAR for the copy of the logo (hopefully a proper credit)