Brian Vickers Mailbag: Busy, busy, busy

NASCAR.COM
March 22, 2006
01:32 PM EST (18:32 GMT)
Brian Vickers heads to Bristol Motor Speedway this week, a track that has given him fits in his brief Nextel Cup career.
Q: What is your life like between races from Sunday to Sunday? I know you travel all over the country during the week but I would like to know what you like to do during your time between races. Are you on someone else's schedule or can you pretty much do what you want as long as you are at the next track in time for practices and races. -- Don Vickers Olathe, Kan.
Vickers: It seems like there's always something to do. I wouldn't say I'm free to do whatever I want, but I do try to take a little time for myself each week to do things I like or want to do.
Essentially, we have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and part of Thursday, depending on the track schedule, to take care of various items related to competition, sponsor commitments, media requests, personal items and outside business activities.
Q: I read on your Web site that you are an avid reader. What is (are) your favorite book(s)? And being on the road so much, do you find much time to read? -- Brandilyn, Indiana
Vickers: My favorite books include: The Da Vinci Code, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Lord of Rings trilogy.
I find the best time for me to read is when I'm traveling, more specifically when I'm on the airplane. We spend a lot of time on planes, and I've found it's a good time to get some reading done. I also like to read some before I go to bed at nights.
Q: To get away from racing for a minute, what is your current favorite song? -- The Cone
Vickers: That's a tough question. It's hard to pick just one song, but if you're going to put me on the spot, I'd have to say my favorite song right now is About Mr. Brown by O.A.R.
Q: What are the holes in the pit sign for? Are they to just hold up the pit sign or block out the sun or what? -- bvgirl25
Vickers: The holes you see in pit board signs serve an important function. They're in place for weight purposes. By cutting holes in the sign, the overall weight of the pit board is reduced. Because the pit sign is attached to such a long pole, you need the sign to be as light as possible so the pole doesn't break or hang down too low in the pit box that it gets in the way.
Q: How strange is it to see ladies the same age as your mom and some your grandmother's age walking up for autographs and gushing over you. -- Old enough to be your mother, , Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Vickers: It's great to have fans no matter who they are. The fans are what make this sport go 'round. No matter what their age, it's all rather very flattering to me.