BROOKLYN, Mich. — Nobody could touch Brian Vickers on Friday in NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Michigan International Speedway.
"It was there from the first lap, the first turn," Vickers said after his lap of 188.536 mph put the Red Bull Racing driver on the pole for Sunday's 3M Performance 400.
"We tried some things during practice that didn't work at all," he added. "So we went back to where we were, and I think that's one of the best qualifying cars I've ever had. It was a heck of a lap. Sometimes you just hit it. You don't know why."
It was the fifth career pole for Vickers, but the first for his team, and his first since November 2006 at Texas, when he was still driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
Last season, the first for both Red Bull and Toyota in the Sprint Cup circuit, was mostly a struggle for Vickers, who finished 38th in the standings. But the 24-year-old, who raced to fourth at this track in June — one of three top-fives this season — has made big strides this year and is a solid 17th in the standings.
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"I'm very proud of everybody at Red Bull Racing and Toyota," he said. "We've come a long way since last year."
Two-time reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was second at 187.028. But his lap was more than three-tenths of a second slower than Vickers on the 2-mile oval.
"We picked up speed from practice, but I just knew in the car it wasn't the fastest lap," Johnson said. "And I think, for that (Red Bull) team and Brian, this has been a track that fits their style. He'll be ever more of a threat come race time."
"That's a great team," Vickers said of Johnson and his No. 48 Hendrick Chevrolet. "It's the team to beat in our sport for the last several years."
The fast lap by Vickers was not a fluke. He also was fastest in the 90-minute practice earlier Friday.
"To lay that lap down in practice and back it up in qualifying, that's a really good feeling," the youngster said. "Really unbelievable. I wish we could take that and apply it to every week. But it's not that easy.
"But anytime you can see progress … patience comes easier."
Elliott Sadler was third at 186.577 in a Dodge, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet at 186.321, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet at 186.032, and the Dodge of rookie Patrick Carpentier at 185.979.
Rounding out the top 10 were: David Reutimann at 185.907; rookie Regan Smith at 185.874; and Greg Biffle and Scott Riggs, both at 185.821.
Stewart team might have to qualify in '09
If nothing changes, new teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will have to qualify for the first five races in 2009.
The two Sprint Cup stars will drive next season for Stewart-Haas Racing, which currently fields cars for Scott Riggs and Tony Raines under the name Haas CNC Racing.
Neither of the drivers Stewart and Newman will replace at the end of this season is in the top 35 in car owner points.
If the season ends that way, neither Stewart nor Newman would be guaranteed a starting spot in any of the first five races, where the previous year's top 35 automatically make the field.
Heading into Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, Riggs' No. 66 Chevrolet is 37th, just 31 points behind 35th-place A.J. Allmendinger. Raines' No. 70 is 43rd, 556 points out of the top 35.
"You know, obviously we're working really hard to keep Scott in the top 35 right now, and that would ensure that Ryan doesn't have to do what he does best — that's going out and getting front rows and poles and everything," said Stewart, the team's new co-owner. "We're trying to work really hard the rest of the season to accomplish that so we don't put that pressure on Ryan.
"That's something that's really big to the organization right now, that we do everything we can to keep that 66 car in the top 35 in points. Let (Newman) worry about going out and racing, not worrying about going out and qualifying the first five weeks."
