"… if you're mentally focused enough."

Team Red Bull pilot Brian Vickers is assessing his NASCAR interim results: In part two of the interview he talks about false perceptions of racing life, his young team-mate AJ Allmendinger and his recreational sport of fishing.

Great women, wild parties: Do NASCAR drivers actually really live the lives of rock stars the way an average fan in front of the TV might imagine?

People often have misconceptions about what we drivers do in our free time. People think that we only party, sleep in and hang out with celebrities. Which happens – but only occasionally, and when we’re on vacation. During the season we race 36 times a year, we’re constantly traveling and we barely have any free time.

But there are surely a few amenities on the side ...

I have a place in New York City which I go to sometimes. And sure, I have some celebrity friends and get to meet some really interesting people, but that’s such a small percentage of my time. Whether I’m at my place in Charlotte or NYC, I’m only there three days a week between races and I’m always working. Either testing with the team, doing media interviews, having meetings at the shop and with sponsors, or training.

Some drivers take on additional stress in that they also compete in the NASCAR Busch Series. In 2007 you also raced in Daytona and you want to compete in another Busch Series race in Charlotte. What do you get out of that?

An advantage for drivers racing in both the Cup and Busch Series on a regular basis is that the Busch cars and Cup cars are so similar that most of the information you learn about one car can transfer over to the other car. You may be running the Busch car and learn stuff about your set up, the tires, air pressure, and be able to apply that when you jump into your Cup car. Getting more track time is always an advantage ...

… which balances out other pressures of the race weekend?

You just have more going on during the race weekend, with twice as many practice sessions, two qualifying sessions, and two races. It’s not a bad thing if you’re mentally focused enough to handle such a busy schedule. I’d say it’s a bit more strenuous when you’re back at the race shops and you’re going to both a Cup and Busch shop to do seat fits, meet with the team … Especially if the Cup and Busch shops are at two different locations.

In his rookie season your team-mate AJ Allmendinger has qualified for eight out of 19 races, and has earned finishes between 31st and 40th. He’s currently fifth in the Rookie of the Year standings. You finished third in your rookie season in 2004. What do you think of AJ’s performance so far this year?

It’s been a tough year for AJ. To be put in the situation that he’s in where he had almost no oval racing experience, no stock car experience, and had never been to any of these race tracks has been really difficult. He’s done the best he could with what he’s got. He’s talented; he just needs time and experience in these cars and on these tracks. It’s a competitive series with lots of great drivers. It’s hard for anyone new to come into the series and be competitive right off the bat, especially with a brand new team and a new engine manufacturer.

You used the two-week break from racing to take a vacation. Where did you go and how did you use your free time?

I went to Charleston, South Carolina and did some fishing, relaxing, hanging out on the beach and with my friends. I also spent some time at home, which is nice because we don’t get a lot of time for that during the season.