Red Bull Racing News

Updated: 2010

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Red Bull Racing donates cars to college: Mooresville-based Red Bull Racing has donated a Sprint Cup Series Toyota from its fleet to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Motorsports Management Technology program. The NASCAR Sprint Cup team fields cars for drivers Brian Vickers and Scott Speed. The donated car will serve as a laboratory for students in the Motorsports Management program, allowing them to see how Sprint Cup Series cars are designed and manufactured, said Richmond Gage, program head for Motorsports Management at the school. The program eventually plans to build an engine and transmission for the car and also use it for show purposes at college and community events, Gage said. (ThatsRacin.com)

Thursday, January 7, 2009

Ken Schrader in No. 82 Red Bull at Bud Shootout: When NASCAR announced a revised format for this season's Shootout race, two-time Shootout winner Ken Schrader came knocking on Red Bull Racing Team's door. With Schrader's past winners spot, and a No. 82 team eager to start the season, the pairing just made sense. Schrader will pilot the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota for the February 6 feature race at Daytona International Speedway. Scott Speed, the full- time driver of the No. 82, is not one of the drivers eligible to compete in the Shootout. Speed will take back the reins of the Red Bull Toyota for the Daytona 500 on February 14. "Kenny's desire and dedication to NASCAR has always made him a favorite among fans and throughout the garage area," said VP and General Manager Jay Frye. "We're excited he approached us with the idea and are looking forward to giving him the opportunity he deserves and has earned." The NASCAR veteran earned a starting spot in this season's race by winning the event in both 1989 and 1990 (PR)

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

Red Bull Racing extends partnership 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."(Team Red Bull Racing)

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

Vickers happy to be in Chase contention with smaller Cup team: Now Brian Vickers in contention for a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a position that usually goes to drivers from one of the powerhouse teams like Hendrick, Roush Fenway Racing or Joe Gibbs Racing. His seventh-place finish at AMS on Sunday moved him to 13th in the standings, just 20 points out of the elite 12. It was his eighth straight finish of 12th or better. "To not be one of the bigger teams and still have a shot at the Chase is pretty cool," he said. "I'm so proud of the performance of the team and how far we've come, the poles, the wins, but we've still got a lot of work ahead of us. "We're up against some pretty challenging folks, but I know we're capable of it. "We just have to do the best job we can with the things we can control, and the rest is up to fate." (Racin' Today)

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009

Brian Vickers signs extension with Red Bull Racing: Red Bull Racing Team announced that Brian Vickers has signed a multi- year extension to his contract. Vickers will continue to drive the No. 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 No. 83 currently sits 13th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points, 12 points out of the top-12.(Red Bull Racing)

Pemberton wins Wypall Crew Chief of the Race at Michigan: Ryan Pemberton, crew chief for the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota driven by Brian Vickers, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday's Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. A caution on Lap 149 of the 200-lap event gave the field a chance to pit, with some teams choosing to try and stretch their fuel to the finish. Pemberton brought his driver down pit road for the final time and opted for just two tires and fuel - giving him much needed track position and a shot at the win. Pemberton told his driver that in order to win the race, he would have to conserve fuel. Vickers gained six positions on the two-tire gamble and restarted ninth (behind other drivers who didn't pit) when the green flag fell with 48 laps to go. Ten laps later Vickers was leading, only to give up the lead to Jimmie Johnson with 35 laps to go. He drafted behind Johnson for the next 33 laps, conserving fuel. With just two laps remaining, Johnson's tank ran dry, handing the win to Vickers. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead.(Wypall PR)

Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009

Red Bull Racing to stick 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)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Red Bull Racing to decide on drivers and manufacturer soon: Jay Frye, Vice President and General Manager of Red Bull Racing says he expects to have driver 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.com)

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Red Bull Racing's contract held-up: 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)

Monday, July 13, 2009

Keselowksi to Red Bull Racing? 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 Special K 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.com)

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Red Bull Racing Execs to meet next week: 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.com)

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Vickers still waiting to sign contract:  Where will No. 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.(FOXSports.com)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Red Bull Racing to switch to Chevrolet? It is very possible that Brian Vickers, winner of the pole at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, could be behind the wheel of the No. 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.com)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Red Bull Racing re-signs Vickers to multi-year deal: Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers has agreed to a multiyear contract to remain the driver of the No. 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, 25 and a native of Thomasville, N.C., 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.com)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Vickers says Earnhardt, Jr. intentionally wrecked him: Brian Vickers said Dale Earnhardt Jr. intentionally wrecked him during Sunday's Daytona 500 and questioned why NASCAR didn't penalize Earnhardt. Earnhardt and Vickers were racing to get their lap back when Earnhardt dived low on the backstretch and Vickers blocked. That sent Earnhardt below the double yellow lines that mark the out-of-bounds section. Earnhardt nearly got into the grass, came back up the track and made contact with the rear of Vickers' car, sending it spinning in front of most of the field. "I beat him to the yellow line and then he just turned us,'' said Vickers, who finished 39th. "He hit me the first time on the way down, which is fine, we all do that. Then when he came back up, he just hooked me in the left rear and typically NASCAR penalizes [that]. "To wreck somebody intentionally like that in front of the entire field is really kind of dangerous. That's my biggest problem with it, but apparently he wanted a caution pretty bad.'' Said Earnhardt: "It was accidental. I wouldn't want to wreck the field. He drove me almost down into the grass. "He shouldn't have started that. At that point in the race, that was pretty reckless.'' (Roanoke.com)

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Mighty Auto Parts to serve as associate for No. 83 Brian Vickers: The familiar blue paint scheme of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota driven by Brian Vickers will sport a new logo for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as Mighty Auto Parts joins Red Bull Racing Team as an associate sponsor. Since 1963 Mighty has provided automotive service professionals with leading-edge sales tools, renowned training, outstanding business acumen, and parts and products that have helped some of NASCAR’s finest drivers to victory lane. Red Bull Racing Team will utilize Mighty's technical expertise to engineer professional performance- grade air and oil filters designed to endure the grueling demands of the racetrack. "I see a natural fit between the philosophies of Red Bull Racing Team and Mighty Auto Parts,” said Ken Voelker, President of Mighty Auto Parts. “The opportunity to partner with a company such as Red Bull Racing that brings passion, an inventive style of thinking and marketing acuity to everything they do, mirrors Mighty's own modus operandi. We look forward to developing a long-term relationship with RBRT, continuing our long-standing relationship with Jay Frye, and seeing the results of such a synergistic partnership." Mighty has been involved with NASCAR and Red Bull Racing Team General Manager and Vice President Jay Frye for ten years, most recently as an associate sponsor of Mark Martin at MB2. “It is a privilege to continue my relationship with Mighty,” said Frye. “As a team we have high expectations for next season; the quality products Mighty provides will help improve our on-track performance and take us to that next level.” (Red Bull Racing PR)

Monday, December 1, 2008

Ryan Pemberton named Brian Vickers crew chief: #83 driver Brian Vickers will have a new crew chief for his third season with Red Bull Racing Team, as Ryan Pemberton leads Vickers’ charge to his first Red Bull victory and a spot in the 2009 Chase. Teammate Scott Speed will return for his rookie NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. He’ll drive the #82 Red Bull Toyota under the watch of returning crew chief Jimmy Elledge. “We’re entering our third Sprint Cup season with driver and crew chief pairings that have what it takes to consistently compete at a high level,” said Jay Frye, RBRT Vice President and General Manager. “Brian and Ryan are each at a point in their respective careers where they can bring home wins and make a run for the championship. Scott earned his Sprint Cup ride by exceeding our expectations in ARCA and trucks. He has a great asset in Jimmy, who has experience working with both rookies and open-wheel drivers.” Pemberton, 39, inherits a #83 team that earned a pole, three top-five and six top-10 finishes before Vickers finished 19th in points. His most recent crew chief role was with the #44 Toyota, guiding driver David Reutimann to four top 10s in 2008. A longtime crewman, Pemberton became a crew chief in 1995 in the Nationwide Series and took his first Sprint Cup job in 1997 at MB2 Motorsports. Since then, he has crew chiefed for the likes of Derrike Cope, Jerry Nadeau, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola. His first victory as a crew chief came when Nemechek won the 2004 race at Kansas Speedway.(Red Bull Racing PR)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Pebemerton leaves MWR; joins Red Bull Racing: After asking for his release, Ryan Pemberton is expected to reunite with his friend and former boss Jay Frye at Team Red Bull. Pemberton, 39, spent this year working with David Reutimann and the No. 44 Toyota after weathering the MB2 Motorsports buyout and the Ginn Racing/Dale Earnhardt Inc. merger last fall. Pemberton's official position has yet to be determined. (FOXSports.com)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Red Bull drivers to swap cars at Homestead: Red Bull Racing Team’s #83 and #84 drivers will swap cars for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead- Miami Speedway. Brian Vickers, who’s normally behind the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, will pilot Scott Speed’s #84, and Speed will pilot the #83.“We already have two talented drivers under our roof, so we chose to switch drivers for one race and change the momentum for this team,” said Jay Frye, RBRT Vice President and General Manager. “Brian’s a team player and wants to help the #84 see the same success the #83 has had this year. Scott’s a rookie and we wanted to take some pressure off of him and let focus on just driving the car. This organization is a team effort and we're treating it that way by finding a solution that works for everyone."(Red Bull Racing PR)

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Kevin Hamlin named Wypall Crew Chief of the Race at Chicago: Kevin Hamlin, crew chief of the #83 Red Bull Toyota driven by Brian Vickers, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night's LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The Hamlin-led team gambled on pit strategy all night as Vickers' battled a lose race car. It paid off as the field cycled through green flag stops and the No. 83 team caught a break when the caution came out for debris on lap 143 to put them back on the same pit cycle as every one else. Short pitting and staying out have been calls that Kevin Hamlin has pretty much mastered over the past few weeks to keep Vickers in the top 20 in the Sprint Cup Series standings. The No. 83 team was consistently one of the top cars on the track all night, leading the pack for two laps and eventually finishing in the 6th position. The 2008 Wypall Wipers Crew Chief Challenge is a season-long contest that will determine the best crew chiefs in the Sprint Cup garage. Following each race, a panel will vote to determine which crew chief demonstrated the most outstanding strategy and leadership during the race. It isn't necessarily the crew chief that goes to Victory Lane, but the crew chief that makes the biggest difference for his team. Representatives from Wypall Wipers, together with FOX/SPEED television analyst Jeff Hammond, and three of NASCAR's top crew chiefs who represent Wypall, including Todd Berrier of Richard Childress Racing's #29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy team, Bob Osborne of Roush Fenway Racing's #99 Office Depot Ford team, and Kenny Francis of Gillett Evernham Motorsports' #9 Budweiser Dodge team, make up the panel of judges. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly top wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead. The Wypall Wipers Crew Chief Challenge will continue throughout the remainder of the 2008 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto www.Wypall.com.(Wypall PR)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Army sponsorship may head to Red Bull Racing? In a related story, ESPN’s Angelique Chengelis reported yesterday that the Army sponsorship is likely to move from DEI to Bill Davis Racing's #23 Toyota next season. That report has been denied by several sources, however, and Sirius Speedway has learned that Red Bull Racing is actually a leading candidate for the Army deal. Red Bull General Manager Jay Frye first brought the Army sponsorship to NASCAR during his tenure at MB2 Motorsports, and is said to be in serious discussions to secure that sponsorship once again in 2009. (The Motorsports Soapbox)

Monday, June 16, 2008

Vickers would like an explanation from NASCAR on late-race issues: Vickers [also] believed he should have been third on the green-white-checkered restart, behind Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne but ahead of Mark Martin, who was allowed to line up ahead of Vickers. "We kind of got it taken away from us," Vickers said. "We passed the 8 (Mark Martin) car about two laps before the caution came out and for some reason NASCAR wanted to put them back in front of us. "I'd love an explanation. It wasn't even like we were side-by-side. We passed them like two laps before the caution and that pretty much cost us the race right there, in my mind." (ThatsRacin)