An omen?
NASCAR fans are often a superstitious lot, therefore some fans may see a positive omen as events unfolded early on Friday morning at Richmond International Raceway.
Fans of Brian Vickers who are looking for positive signs may have reason to take heart in the fact that as he sat at the media center podium and spoke of what it would take to win the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, the flamed guitar trophy made its first appearance as it was carried into the room. However, on the other hand, driver Ryan Newman was close behind.

Keeping a close eye on competitors
Brian Vickers comes in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 13th in points with his sites on making the Top 12. So will he be concentrating on his position throughout the race?
“I think the team is going to be well-aware of where everybody’s at,” Vickers said. “I am sure they are going to track it every lap, they have it on their monitor – they actually have the points on the monitor lap by lap. Something they are going to stay aware of, but for me personally I am probably not going to focus that much on it.
“I’m not going to be on the radio asking, ‘Where’s Matt (Kennseth)’ That’s not my concern,” Vickers added. “My concern is going to be focusing on myself, the car and what I can do with that to better improve our position and pass the guy in front of me.”

To throw or not to throw
That has certainly been the question this weekend with so many cars and teammates fighting for the last eight positions in the NASCAR Spring Cup Chase for the championship. So if you have a teammate who needs a few points and he’s right on the cusp late in the race, do you back off and let him have your position?
“I’ve been paying [Tony Stewart] $10 a race for the last 10 races so we could get a little collection put together so he would do it,” driver of the No. 39 NCO Chevy Ryan Newman said.
“Ryan said he collected $10? Per week? He should have started with $20,” Stewart said later.
Newman is currently ninth in points and will clinch if he finishes 16th or better, 17th and leads at least one lap or 19th and leads the most laps Saturday night.
Mark Martin is 10th and needs to finish 12th or better, 14th and lead at least one lap or 19th and lead the most laps to clinch, so will teammate Jimmie Johnson help him out?
“I think Mark would get out of the car and whoop some a**,” Johnson said. “He wants to go out there and win it on his own. He wouldn’t tolerate something like that.”

A job is not a job
NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace will make his 800th start when it takes off in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 on Friday night at RIR. Out of 3821 drivers in all national series, Wallace now ranks 17th combined national starts.
But to Wallace racing is not just a job. “Ann Schrader, Kenny Schrader’s wife told me something I’ll never forget,” Wallace said. “She said, ‘A man judges his self-worth through his job.’ So I guess if you’re working at McDonalds and you’re 40 years old you don’t feel very good about yourself. I guess if you’re working at McDonalds when you’re 70 because you’re bored, I guess you’re just doing something. I judge my self worth through my job.
“I know where I’m at and what I’m about so I’m good,” Wallace added. “I’m happier right now at 46 than I’ve ever been. I like Jeff Burton’s quote, ‘Would I want to be 21 again? Hell no.’ You don’t know things. Right now I know a lot more.”

The price of TV fame
But when it came to the fame associated with NASCAR, driver Kenny Wallace didn’t mix words over the fact that he is better known for his TV show than for driving through 799 career races. “It drives me absolutely up a wall,” he said. “My mother taught me to never use the word hate, and I hate it. If I could quit TV I would do it, but it pays too much money and it brings me too much sponsorship.”

Patrick knows how to utilize her talents
Wallace was also vocal about the possibility that IndyCar driver Danica Patrick driving in Nationwide races next season. “I don’t care who you are, you’ve got to drive a racecar,” Wallace said. “When I look at what she’s done in IndyCar, and you’ve got to figure that there are men in the cars too and she races men, car to car, lady to man, she’s won, she’s a winner.
“She’s got enough smarts to market her good looks,” Wallace added. “I like her bikini magazine, she looks good and I think she’s pretty smart.”
But will Patrick’s presence help the Nationwide Series? “It will be awesome for our sport,” Wallace said. “There’s no doubt. I’m not a male chauvinist. I love my wife. I love my girls. I want them to be the best they can be. There’s a lot of great ladies in here and I think it would be awesome.”

Wallace’s final word
Before stepping away from the podium, Kenny Wallace, an noted jokester, felt he needed to get one last word in. “I hope the Yankees and the Red Sox lose and the Cardinals win. The Yankees suck.”

Sara Page is the sports editor for the Midlothian Exchange.