Vickers: We could have won!

Brian Vickers is convinced that he could have Toyota its first Nextel Cup race win in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 had luck just run his way for longer.

The Team Red Bull driver ran in the top ten almost throughout the 600 miles, working his way to the front to lead on four separate occasions for 76 laps, only for a power steering problem to make life difficult in the second half of the race. Good fuel management and regular top-ups of power steering fluid ensured that Vickers was able to hang in there, eventually coming home in a season-best fifth place after others had to make late stops for fuel.

"We definitely had a car that could win the race today, but we ran into one problem after another," he sighed, "First, our power steering kept going in and out halfway through the race. Then it went out completely and it's not an easy thing to run a race this long and tough without power steering. We also lost our starter and then had a cut tyre, so that doesn't help you get a race win.

"A top five finish, that's nothing to complain about, but it's just disappointing when you lead so many laps and know your car is so strong and then things out of your control happen. Overall, the guys did a great job and we brought the car home all in one piece and with our best finish of the year."

Team-mate AJ Allmendinger also reckoned that he could have placed better than he did, had it not been for getting caught up in Jeff Gordon's early accident. The four-time series champion had already been spun by the time Allmendinger collected him, launching the #24 Chevy into the air.

"I think, if we hadn't of been in that accident with the 24 car early in the race, we would have had about a top 20 car," AJ insisted, "We just have to stop getting caught up in stuff.

"At least my guys have a 'don't-give-up' attitude. I thought the car was done after the wreck, but it was hit straight on enough that it only took out the nose and radiator.
They worked their butts off to get me back on the track and we ended up picking up several spots. The car was actually not that bad either and it was good to get the lap time."