NASCAR- is Brian Vickers Move to Toyota an Upgrade or Downgrade

Back in June, it was pronounced officially that Brian Vickers would join Red Bull Racing, the brand new Nextel Cup team powered by the brand new (to NASCAR) manufacturer Toyota in 2007. Red Bull Racing, who is also associated with Formula One and Rally Cars, will endeavor to make their mark in America's most exalted form of auto racing, NASCAR.

Brian Vickers asked his current employer, Rick Hendrick, for an early release from his contractual obligations so he could pursue other options. Hendrick Motorsports is unmistakably one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR with 51 victories since the beginning of the millennium in 2000. Why in the world would Vickers depart from an operation that wins so routinely? That's what many fans and members of the media are screaming!

Well, I'll tell you why Vickers desires to leave the heralded Hendrick Mortorsports organization. In the 54 wins since 2000, the #24 team driven by Jeff Gordon has won 26 times, the #48 driven by Jimmie Johnson has won 22 times, and that team actually began running full-time in 2002, and the #5 team driven by Terry Labonte and Kyle Busch has won only 4 times. But Kyle Busch has easily shown more potential than Vickers has in the #25. That #25 team owns only two of the 54 victories. Jerry Nadeau won in Atlanta in 2000, and Joe Nemechek won at Richmond in 2003.

Obviously, Vickers has come to the realization that the #25 team is just not uniform and hasn't been in two decades, and another opportunity for both parties involved will be the appropriate approach. And it will! Will Vickers enjoy immediate success with Red Bull Racing and Toyota? Probably not, because it typically takes a new organization a couple of years to hit their stride, and that is especially so with a new manufacturer, just look at Evernham Motorsports and Dodge.

Vickers will likely be a fifteen to twentieth place driver initially with Red Bull, but that is roughly his status now with Hendrick Motorsports. So why not run in fifteenth place as the leading man for Red Bull, than run in fifteenth place in the dark shadows of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch?

Things have really fallen into place for Toyota for their 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup debut. Firstly, they have Michael Waltrip, a goofy, popular spokesman with sponsors such as NAPA, Domino's, Best Western, Buger King- man, I'm starting to sound like Mikey by naming all of these sponsors! And then they go out and acquire the 1999 NASCAR champion and indomitable veteran Dale Jarrett. And now, they have their marketable young gun in Brian Vickers. Jeremy Mayfield joined Bill Davis Racing's fleet of Toyota Camry's.

Who's next on the Toyota's list? Rumor has it that 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott could re-emerge into full-time Nextel Cup competition, as could former Nextel Cup regulars Ricky Rudd and Ward Burton.