My, My What a Month!
After leaving Charlotte in May with a pole run and a top five finish, it was difficult to wait until August to see Brian Vickers pilot the ABF U-Pack Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide series again. Boy, did Brian and the entire Braun Racing Crew make up for lost time!

CarFax 250
First up was the CarFax 250 in Michigan on August 16th. After a blistering fast qualifying lap, Vickers put the ABF Toyota in the 3rd starting spot. Although this didn’t leave him much room for improvement, he managed to finish one better, and crossed the finish line in 2nd! Not a bad way to start off this three race swing.

Food City 250
The next challenge for the U-Pack team was the Food City 250 at none other than Bristol Motor Speedway. This is one of the toughest, most grueling tracks on the NASCAR circuit, and it provides some of the most fascinating racing. While Brian was unable to seriously contend for the win, he still brought the ABF U-Pack car home in one piece, with a top 10 qualifying spot and a top 10 finish to boot!

Camping World RV Service 300
The final race of the month was also ABF U-Pack’s final race of the year. On August 30th, Brian and the Nationwide Series took to the 2 mile track in Sonoma, California for the Camping World RV Service 300. After several outstanding runs, everyone on the ABF U-Pack team wanted to finish this year out strong. While the qualifying run was not as outstanding as we have become accustomed to, the #32 was still able to line up 11th for this late night fight. And a fight it was. Braun Racing put one of the fastest cars in the field underneath Vickers for this race, and it showed. Even after a couple of pit-road miscues and a brush with the outside wall, the car was still lightning fast and able to work traffic with ease. The issues on pit-road and with the wall may have prevented us from bringing home the victory, but it was a very exciting top 3 finish, and a great way to cap off a fantastic year.

Thanks to Brian and the entire ABF U-Pack Braun Racing crew for a wonderful year with the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It was a pleasure to watch them race every week among the best drivers in the world. Here’s to an even better 2009!

For more information, please visit www.TeamABFRacing.com, www.upack.com, www.abf.com, and www.BraunRacing.com.
(Photos Courtesy of TheHotLap.com)