Contract Status: Driver: 2012; Primary Sponsors: owners of the team
#83 Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
Mobil 1 and Toyota UPDATE: not quite sure what this is all about, have heard nor seen anything but......Mobil 1 Racing and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) U.S.A to make announcement about 2010 NASCAR season Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, scheduled to be attending the announcement are Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota; Michael Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing and driver of the #55 NAPA Toyota; Lee White, President and General Manager, TRD; Harold Shablom, Global Motorsport Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties.(PR)(11-13-2009)
UPDATE: ExxonMobil and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) unveiled a new technological partnership in which ExxonMobil will provide its Mobil 1 racing oil technology and products to TRD- supported NASCAR teams. Kicking off at the start of the 2010 NASCAR season, TRD-supplied NASCAR engines will be filled with specially modified motor oil based on the same technology available to consumers in Mobil 1 Racing oils, which were unveiled in April. The TRD-specific motor oils will deliver outstanding power via unique low-friction synthetic lubricant technology combined with boosted levels of anti-wear additives to protect and extend the life of engine hardware. Formally announced before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the collaboration will pair Mobil 1, the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” with one of NASCAR’s top engine manufacturers. With this new partnership, ExxonMobil’s racing oil technology will now provide performance and protection for the TRD-supported Red Bull Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing NASCAR teams.(Toyota PR)(11-14-2009)
Vickers Youngest Driver ever to have 200 starts in Sprint Cup Series:: This weekend at Dover, #83-Brian Vickers will become the youngest driver ever to reach 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts in six full seasons of competition. Of the 200 starts, Vickers has only driven for two teams, Hendrick Motorsports, for which he made 113 starts, and Team Red Bull with 86 starts. "Wow,” Vickers said. “Makes me feel old! It's pretty cool when you think about it. It’s a big accomplishment. I'm glad to have been involved in the sport, at this level, for that long. It's only going to get better as it goes on and as I progress in my career.” Vickers currently is eighth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with one win, four top fives, 13 top 10s and six poles. "2009 has been a great overall highlight with all that's gone on with this team over the years and the building we have done,” he said. “The win. The Chase. It's been fantastic. My first career win was great but there is something really gratifying about building a program from the ground up and seeing it succeed.”(NASCAR)(9-23-2009)
Red Bull Racing re-ups with Toyota: Red Bull Racing Team has extended its partnership with Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The agreement continues a three-year relationship where Toyota has supported Red Bull Racing Team’s progression from a start-up organization to a berth in the championship- deciding Chase. “Our partnership with Toyota has been a critical element to the success of Red Bull Racing Team,” said Jay Frye, RBRT vice president and general manager. “Both Red Bull Racing Team and Toyota share a common goal of being a championship-contending team. Toyota has supplied the engine and technical support we need to get our teams into victory lane and now the Chase for the Championship. We look forward to the future with Toyota.” Toyota has been an integral part of the team’s success as both an engine supplier and manufacturer. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Red Bull Racing Team – a member of our ‘freshman class’ in 2007 when Toyota joined the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as a manufacturer,” said Lee White, president and general manager for Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. We are extremely proud of the team's and Brian's accomplishments, including their first victory and qualifying for the Chase.”(RBRT)(9-16-2009)
No plans for Red Bull Racing to expand: Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye says there are no plans as of now for the organization to expand to three NASCAR Sprint Cup teams next season. Red Bull, in its third season in NASCAR’s top series, currently fields entries for driver #83-Brian Vickers and rookie #82-Scott Speed. “There’s really no goal to have a third team at this point, in my opinion,” Frye said on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “We have to get our two teams both competing in the high levels every week before you would think about expanding. We’ve got one team [Vickers’ #83 team] that’s competing at a high level every week. Scott, obviously part of his development now, we’re getting into phase two of that where we’re going to race tracks for a second time, and obviously we need to see an improvement from the first races.” Speed has just one top-10 finish – a fifth at Talladega – in 22 starts this season and has failed to qualify three times. Frye hopes Speed’s results will improve as he gains more seat time and revisits tracks, such as last weekend at Michigan, where he had only competed once before. As for Red Bull’s widely rumored switch from Toyotas to Chevrolets next season, Frye said negotiations are ongoing and didn’t rule anything out. “Manufacturer-wise we’re working really hard to get that done,” he said. “That is the next step in our progression to lock that down for a few years. Again, Toyota has been a great partner, and we are working through a lot of different scenarios with them. I would anticipate everything being shored up at some point in the near future with them.”(SceneDaily)(8-22-2009)
Vickers: Busch out of strikes: #83-Brian Vickers says #18-Kyle Busch is "out of strikes" when it comes to how they race each other. On Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Vickers was expecting to discuss Sunday's win at Michigan and his new contract with Red Bull Racing. Instead, he was peppered with questions about an argument with Busch following the Nationwide Race. Vickers says "I'm just done," with Busch, and "he's out of rope." The two were once teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, but have since joined new teams. They argued at the end of last Saturday's event when they raced each other so hard that Brad Keselowski was able to scoot past on the final lap to steal the Nationwide win.(Associated Press)(8-21-2009)
Vickers officially signs to stay at Red Bull: Red Bull Racing Team announced that Brian Vickers has signed a multi- year extension to his contract. Vickers will continue to drive the #83 Toyota under the leadership of crew chief Ryan Pemberton. “The team is continuing to prove that it is a consistent force week in and week out,” said Jay Frye, Vice President and General Manager of RBRT. “Brian has been here from the beginning and he continues to be a vital piece of the puzzle with regards to our ultimate goal of building Red Bull Racing into a consistent contender.” Since joining RBRT at the beginning of the 2007 season, Vickers has racked up a win, eight top-five and 22 top-10 finishes, along with seven poles. “I’m thrilled,” said Vickers. “This has been a long time coming, and there is no where else I would rather be. I am looking forward to building on what we have started the last couple of years. It is an interesting experience being with a team from the ground up – going through the growing pains, then successes, together. I am so proud to have been able to bring this team their first win.” The #83 currently sits 13th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points, 12 points out of the top-12.(Red Bull Racing)(8-18-2009)
Vickers wins at Michigan: #83-Brian Vickers won the CARMAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway for his 1st win of 2009, 2nd of his career, 1st win ever in Sprint Cup for Red Bull Racing, 1st win from the pole for Vickers [after 11 poles] and first ever win at MIS for Toyota. Vickers in the 13th different winner in 23 Sprint Cup races this season [the record is 19]. #24-Gordon finished 2nd followed by #88-Earnhardt Jr. [1st top 5 since Talladega in May], #99-Edwards, #77-Hornish Jr., #07-Mears, #20-Logano, #33-Bowyer, #00-Reutimann and #11-Hamlin. #48-Johnson was leading with 2 laps to go but ran out of fuel and finished 33rd. Points leader #14-Stewart finished 17th and increased his points lead to 284 points over now 2nd place, #24-Gordon as Johnson fell to 3rd. Vickers is now only 12 points out of the Chase with three races to go before the chase, #5-Martin is now 12th after running out of fuel on the last lap and finishing 31st. There were 7 cautions for 36 caution laps, an18 minute red flag for a light rain shower on lap 8 and there were 25 lead changes among 14 drivers.
Scheduled Race Re-Air: ESPN2 on Monday, August 17 at 3:00am/et; ESPN Classic on Monday, August 17 at 1:00pm/et; and SPEED, Wednesday, August 19 at 12:00pm/et.
For race results, awards and more, see my Michigan Race Results Page.
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers Points Standings page.(8-16-2009)
First win for #83 since 1988: With Brian Vickers win in the CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 16th, it was only the second ever win for a car using the #83 in Sprint Cup Series history. The last and only other time a car using the #83 won a Sprint Cup race was on March 27, 1988, when Lake Speed got his only career win at Darlington Raceway, running the #83 Wynn's Oldsmobile. See more about the history of car number wins on my Wins by Car Numbers page.(8-17-2009)
Red Bull to stay with Toyota: It looks like Team Red Bull will be sticking with Toyotas and TRD engines in 2010, rather than jump to Chevys and Rick Hendrick horsepower. Team manager Jay Frye said he expected to make some announcements on everything in the next week or so. Brian Vickers' contract renewal with Red Bull has been up in the air, but Vickers is expected to get a new deal with the team, and Vickers is also expected to drive some for Toyota Nationwide owner Todd Braun in 2010.(MikeMulhern.net)(8-10-2009)
Red Bull getting closer on manufacturer, Vickers: Red Bull Racing's vice president and general manager, Jay Frye, spent nearly 24 hours traveling to Austria for a three-hour meeting last Tuesday at his company's headquarters, and Friday at Pocono Raceway confirmed the team is evaluating manufacturers for 2010 and getting closer to re-signing lead driver #83-Brian Vickers. "And that was a long [meeting] -- usually they're only an hour or two," Frye said, laughing. "The meeting was great and there's lots of enthusiasm for what we're doing with the program. I would think in the next short while we'd have some sort of announcement of what the future is and what we have going on. I think what happened at the meeting was, all the scenarios were laid out, and they're all great scenarios, but it was about what're we going to do 10 years from now, or five years from now? "A lot of stuff was exchanged and there are a lot of things they have to review. I had a couple things I had to come back and do that have been done, so in a very short while we should have some things resolved." Vickers has said he has an oral agreement to continue with Red Bull Racing Team, for which he's driven the #83 Toyota since 2007, the inaugural year for both Red Bull and the manufacturer in the Cup Series. Frye, who joined Red Bull's third-year Cup program last season, said that's part of the reasoning that has put Red Bull in position to evaluate whether it will stay with the Toyota Camrys it's run since it joined the series, or switch to another carmaker, speculated to be Chevrolet. David Wilson, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development, came from a meeting with Frye to Pocono's infield media center and said, despite knowing about Red Bull's evaluation process, the manufacturer hadn't changed its focus. "The bottom line is we continue to work with Red Bull and we continue to desire a longer-term partnership," Wilson said. A Chevrolet spokesperson said the manufacturer would have no comment regarding its team lineup. Frye said Red Bull had no designs currently on expanding beyond two cars or diversifying into the Nationwide Series, where Vickers' teammate, #82-Scott Speed, has about a half-dozen more races to run this season with Michael Waltrip Racing. "My opinion right now is we have to make sure these two teams are shored up and competing at a high level every week, and once you can do that, that's when you start looking at expanding," Frye said. "The whole team has come a long way, we made great gains in 2008 and statistically we're ahead of where we were last year. Just like everybody else, we've had some bad luck and we've had some things happen."(in part from NASCAR.com)(8-2-2009)
Red Bull could decide soon on drivers and manufacturer: Jay Frye, Vice President and General Manager of Red Bull Racing says he expects to have driver #83-Brian Vickers’ contract extension finalized, and a manufacturer decision made, after he travels to Austria next week to meet with Red Bull officials. Frye said several weeks ago that a contract extension between Red Bull – which owns and sponsors the team’s two-car effort – and Vickers was one step away from being completed, but had not been approved. While ironing that out will be a priority, so to will be determining whether to remain with Toyota or making a move to another manufacturer. Vickers, who has driver for the team since 2007, told reporters Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that he was “keeping all my options open … the ball is in their court.” Red Bull Racing was one of Toyota’s original teams when the automaker joined NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 2007. Despite reports that have paired the organization with Chevrolet in 2010, Frye said nothing has been determined.(SceneDaily)(7-27-2009)
- Red Bull Racing's contract stalls: It was reported June 10 that Brian Vickers had agreed to a new multi-year deal with Red Bull Racing and that an announcement would come later that week. So where's the contract? Vickers described the situation last weekend as "strange" and said he'd hoped to have the new deal signed before now. "Right now, we still haven't agreed on a contract," Vickers told reporters at Chicagoland Speedway. "There were many times where I went into the week expecting it to be signed and sent to me to sign, and that didn't happen. Why? I can't answer that. That's a question for Red Bull and a question for Jay [Frye]." Frye is Red Bull's general manager. He was scheduled to meet with team owner Dietrich Mateschitz this week in Austria to work on Vickers' deal and a manufacturer for next season. Red Bull is in the final year of its contract with Toyota, which would like to re-sign the organization. Frye also has been in discussions with Hendrick Motorsports about forming a technical alliance in which HMS would supply engines and chassis as it does for Stewart-Haas Racing. If an alliance occurs with HMS, Red Bull also could be a potential landing spot for Brad Keselowski, although Frye recently said he had no plans to expand.(ESPN Insider)(7-18-2009)
- Vickers visits NASA: A few weeks ago, #83-Brian Vickers spent two days at NASA checking out the space shuttle. "This was one of the coolest things I've gotten to do. To get that close and see all the parts and pieces that help put the Shuttle up into Space was awesome," said Vickers in the media center. "I've always been a big supporter of NASA and the space program. It's just something that still fascinates me. The power behind it is just incredible!"(see video at brianvickers.com)(7-15-2009)
- Keselowski to Penske next year? UPDATE 4 Red Bull denied: For the second straight season, Brad Keselowski is the top candidate for the #12 Penske Racing Dodge. David Stremme has experienced a couple of miserable weeks at the racetrack and is currently 32nd in the point standings. Keselowski said on Friday he does not have a deal signed for next year. Certainly for a self-proclaimed "Eastsider," partnering with fellow Detroit-based Roger Penske would be an honor. Keselowski was offered the #12 ride last year after Ryan Newman announced he was leaving the ride to join Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox Sports)(7-11-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski's racing team for 2010 is still undecided. The 25-year-old Keselowski hoped a recent meeting with team owner Rick Hendrick would answer some questions about where he'd be racing next season. Keselowski wants a full-time ride next year, and he's optimistic he can stay affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. He discussed several possibilities with Hendrick, though no final decision was reached. "I have some preferences, but I haven't gotten very far with them," Keselowski said. "I'm not really close on anything." No matter where he ends up, Keselowski felt he would have a full-time ride next season. "I feel pretty confident that's the way it's heading," he said. "It would have to be a big problem to come up for that not to happen."(Associated Press)(7-12-2009)
UPDATE 2: #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said there's "only a 10 percent chance" he'll move his JR Motorsports team from the Nationwide to the Cup series next year. "I basically just wanted to put feelers out there and see what kind of interest there was from sponsors," he said. "I would have to drive the car myself (to get a sponsor) and I'm going to be working for Rick for the next couple of years, at least."(Indianapolis Star)
UPDATE 3: Brad Keselowski wasn't kidding when he said he had "options" for next season. In addition to being close to re-signing a deal with JR Motorsports to run in the Nationwide Series, the latest buzz has Keselowski paired with Red Bull Racing. If Keselowski indeed stays with JRM, the only scenario that would work on the Cup side would be with a Chevy team. Maybe Red Bull is closer to inking a Chevy deal. Rick Hendrick said on Saturday that HMS has the resources to include Red Bull in its engine program.(FoxSports)(7-13-2009)
UPDATE 4: been told by sources that no one at Red Bull Racing has talked to Keselowski about driving for the team in 2010.(7-15-2009)
- Vickers still waiting to sign contract: UPDATE: Where will #83-Brian Vickers be next year? Surprisingly, there is no answer to that question yet. The 25-year-old racer reached a verbal commitment to remain with Team Red Bull for another year last winter, yet nothing has been inked as of this week. Vickers called the situation "strange" and expected to have a contract signed before now. "We went into the season, with the economy and things the way they were, there were some uncertainties, which is understandable, I think, with anyone in corporate America these days," said Vickers, who won his fifth Cup pole of the year Thursday at Chicagoland. "So, I didn't really think that much about it. Right now, we still haven't agreed on a contract. There were many times where I went into the week expecting it to be signed and sent to me to sign, and that didn't happen. Why? I can't answer that. That's a question for Red Bull and a question for Jay (Frye)." Frye, Red Bull team manager, is expected to meet with owner Dietrich Mateschitz next week in Austria to hash out details of Vickers' contract and the possible technical alignment with Hendrick Motorsports in 2010. Vickers remains happy with the organization and hopes to have answers upon Frye's return.(Fox Sports)(7-10-2009)
UPDATE: Red Bull Racing Vice President and General Manager Jay Frye will travel to Austria next week for his semi-annual meeting with his team owner and sponsor’s upper management. During that time, Frye said he will try to nail down a number of details for 2010, including a deal with an automaker, a contract for Brian Vickers and, possibly, a new major associate sponsor for the team. Red Bull is the final year of its deal with Toyota. Frye said on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway that “they’ve (Toyota) been a great partner and it’s our intention to try and go forward with them.” But he also said that talks on a new deal have been ongoing for more than a year and that the team is talking with Chevy as well. Frye said the team absolutely intends to re-sign Vickers.(SPEEDtv)(7-11-2009)
- Latest on Red Bull to Chevy: Red Bull Racing [#82 & #83] will decide in a month whether to switch from Toyota to General Motors in 2010, sources close to the situation said. There has been speculation for a month that Red Bull would move to Chevys with the chassis and engines supplied by Hendrick Motorsports. HMS owner Rick Hendrick has said he needs to pick up some additional business to make up for the financial support GM cut after it filed for bankruptcy last month. Red Bull general manager Jay Frye, who has worked with HMS in the past, said Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, that no decision has been made. Richard Petty Motorsports could leave Dodge and fill Red Bull's vacancy if there is one. Robbie Loomis, the vice president for race operations at RPM, said the organization continues talking to all manufacturers about next season.(ESPN Insider)(7-3-2009)
- More on Red Bull Manufacturer: Red Bull Racing driver #83-Brian Vickers has won back-to-back poles in a Toyota Camry, but to hear his boss talk, it doesn’t sound like that will make a difference on whether Red Bull remains a Toyota team. Red Bull is in its final year of its Toyota contract, and there has been speculation that Red Bull, could move to Chevrolet (without manufacturer support). But wouldn’t two consecutive poles make the team brass think twice about going to a new manufacturer, especially after being one of Toyota’s initial teams when it entered Cup in 2007? “Ask them,” Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye said at Infineon Raceway Saturday. “Obviously Toyota has been great to us. We’ve been one of their freshman teams and all that. We appreciate everything they’re doing and continue to do. We’re going through lots of different scenarios right now. There’s a lot going on in the world and it’s been reported that our deal is up with them at the end of the year and it’s possible they don’t want us to come back, right? It’s possible. Or it’s possible they want us to come back but they can’t for some reason do that. Anything is possible.” Toyota Racing Development senior vice president Dave Wilson said the manufacturer wants to continue the relationship with Red Bull and there have been discussions to extend the relationship. There have been reductions in Toyota’s total racing budget, but Wilson said the manufacturer wants to have 10-12 cars on the track. “We have a great deal of loyalty to those guys,” Wilson said. “They slogged it out in the tough entry period in ’07 and obviously we should have notched a couple of victories with Red Bull. We’re certainly not looking to change that.” Frye said there is no time frame to make a decision. The other contract Red Bull needs to get finalized is the one for Vickers. Frye indicated that everything just needs a look in the corporate offices in Austria. “Everything is agreed, done, just the legalese stuff and things like that are going on right now. There’s no [issues],” Frye said.(SceneDaily)(6-22-2009)
- Red Bull to Chevy? UPDATE: It is very possible that Brian Vickers, winner of the pole at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, could be behind the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Chevy next season. Yes, Chevy. Over the last three years, the Red Bull program has worked to gain speed but has experienced some reliability issues with the Toyota Racing Development engines. Red Bull's contract with Toyota is up at the end of this season. And although General Motors likely cannot afford to support additional teams at this time, Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns race teams in both NASCAR and Formula One, could certainly afford to take on the role as Chevy parts customer. If Red Bull Racing was to make the switch to Chevy engines, Hendrick Motorsports would be the logical choice of vendor. Given Jay Frye's relationship with HMS, most recently during the management of Ginn Racing and MB2 Motorsports prior to that, there's a familiarity as a technical customer.(FoxSports)(6-13-2009)
UPDATE: Red Bull is in its last year of a three-year contract with Toyota and that's led to a report that the team could switch manufacturers to Chevrolet and receive equipment from Hendrick Motorsports, as Stewart-Haas Racing does. The team fields cars for Brian Vickers, who is starting on the pole for today's race, and rookie Scott Speed. "We're going through lots of different scenarios right now,'' said Jay Frye, the team's general manager. "It's possible they won't want us to come back. It's possible. Or it's possible that they want us to come back but they can't for some reason do that. Anything is possible at this point. They've been a great partner. We'll see here shortly what's the next step.''(Roanoke Times)(6-21-2009)
- Vickers close to re-upping with Red Bull UPDATE: Red Bull Racing is close to finalizing a contract extension with #83-Brian Vickers, who is in the final season of a three-year contract. Both sides hold an option on next season that has to be exercised by June 1st .(ESPN/AP)(5-24-2009)
UPDATE: Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers has agreed to a multiyear contract to remain the driver of the #83 Toyota for the Red Bull Racing Team, sources confirmed Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. An official announcement is expected later this week. Vickers is competing in his sixth Cup season. He was in the last year of a three-year contact with Red Bull, but team officials had an option to extend the deal one season. Vickers wanted a multiyear agreement, which team officials gladly accepted to keep Vickers in the organization long term.(ESPN)(6-10-2009)
- Red Bull Racing Team will host their annual Fan Day on Friday, May 22 at the shop located at 136 Knob Hill Road in Mooresville, N.C. Fan Day runs from 10am to 3pm/et with appearances by drivers Brian Vickers and Scott Speed from 12noon to 1pm. Tickets for driver autographs will be given out starting at 10am to the first 200 fans. Red Bull Racing Team's Fan Day will feature music from DJ Van Dam, Red Bull sorbet, a performance by BMX flatland rider Terry Adams, a Red Bull Albatross flyover, as well as pit crew members teaching the art of changing tires. Fans will have a chance to win big in a raffle that includes a driver uniform, gloves and shoes signed by Vickers, a #82 hood and 1:24-scale diecast signed by Speed, framed photos and team merchandise.(TRB)(5-20-2009)
- Reggie Busch to visit with Vickers: NFL running back Reggie Bush, who plays for the New Orleans Saints, recently became the first- ever NFL player to join the Red Bull family and their extensive athlete roster. The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner and former USC star will hang out with Brian Vickers prior to this Sunday’s events for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and watch the race from the #83 pit box.(Toyota PR)(4-2-2009)
