Team Previews: A Raging Red Bull In ’10?

This team has comes a long ways. Back in 2007, when Toyota was making its Nextel Cup debut, I would have said that Brian Vickers was the driver with the best shot of delivering the manufacturer their first victory at NASCAR’s top level. As the automaker struggled through their season, Vickers and Dave Blaney were the most consistent drivers with the new nameplate, and by golly, he sure had a nice run at the Coca- Cola 600, before fading away.

Then JGR made the switch to Toyota, and Kyle Busch started going crazy with wins, making the thought of winning for Toyota almost passé. Now Vickers did come close to his first win outside of HMS, but whether or not you agree that NASCAR jobbed him out of win at Michigan, the record shows that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a winner there in 2008.

Last season, the redhead broke through, not only by winning at Michigan in the second event of the season there, but also making his first Chase. I guess you could say 2009 was a breakout year, as Vickers also grabbed six poles, and real put together a string of good finishes going into the Chase. Then- the Chase happened- and he never really mounted serious charge to contend.

On more than one occasion, the folks in Vickers’ shop have demonstrated an ability to build a mean machine; there just isn’t the consistency from Brian yet needed to make the leap to the next level. In my opinion, that’s going to be paramount in 2010, as I believe the competition from race teams on the rebound is that much stiffer. There’s no doubt in my mind, the young veteran can drive; to compete with the likes of Jimmie, Gordo and Smoke, he’s just got to get it done more often.

You hear a lot of value put on one driver getting good information from another to help him better himself. That kind of help did not come from former F1 driver Scott Speed. Surviving was the Californians’ M.O. throughout ‘09. Speed (man, I love that name for a race car driver) dashed up, down and around NASCAR’s “Mendoza Line” (you baseball fans know what I’m talking about), and all that’s going to do for a NASCAR neophyte is put all their team’s eggs in the qualifying basket. That’s no way to learn the ropes.

Hopefully for Speed, Team Red Bull will show a little more patience with him than they did A.J. Allmendinger. As a fan, that whole deal still doesn’t sit well with me. If you subscribe to the “three year rule” when it comes to the conversion to NASCAR from open wheel, then there’s more learning in store for young Scott Speed, but still plenty of promise.

So, I guess my questions concerning Team Red Bull are these: Did they find in 2009 success to build on? Was it a flash in the pan? Can Brian Vickers develop a mastery of a greater variety of tracks? Will Scott Speed go the way of Tony Stewart, or the way of Dario Franchitti? The great thing about having a couple of young guys in your stable is there’s a load of potential there, and if all goes right, the sky’s the limit.

I know it’s real to write a young driver off if he makes more than his share of mistakes, or maybe in the case of Vickers, it doesn’t seem like he’s progressed as much as he should, but you know what? You give a guy some seat time, with good equipment and good people around him, there’s no telling what he might do.

The key here is the overall strength of the organization, coupled with driver progress. We’ll see what happens.  

PHOTO CREDITS- Brian Vickers celebrating at Michigan by Jerry Markland/ Getty Images for NASCAR. Scott Speed by Jaytor. To see more visit, flickr. com.