Saturday, October 30, 2004 Vickers carries heavy heart Ricky Hendrick had encouraged his dad to hire Brian Vickers as a driver for the team. By Dustin Long  981-3341 The Roanoke Times

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Words faded. Eyes watered.

"Last Sunday was a sad day," Vickers said before he bowed his head and pulled a microphone in his right hand away during a news conference dubbed a remembrance at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

At 21, the Thomasville, N.C., native has mourned the loss of two close friends in auto racing. First, it was Adam Petty in 2000 and now Ricky Hendrick, who died Sunday when the team's plane slammed into Bull Mountain after aborting a landing at Blue Ridge Regional Airport.

Last Sunday was to have been a special day for Vickers. He turned 21. He spent the day in a race car, a NASCAR Nextel Cup car owned by Hendrick Motorsports. It's a ride Vickers would not have had without the support of Ricky Hendrick, son of Hendrick Motorsports CEO Rick Hendrick.

A racing crash convinced Ricky Hendrick to quit racing in 2002, forcing the team to search for a permanent replacement for the 2003 season. Rick Hendrick wanted to hire a veteran. His son wanted Vickers, who had quietly proven his ability with a family-run team.

Ricky Hendrick won. And so did Vickers, who went from a team without enough money to run a full season to one of the sport's elite organizations.

Vickers' career blossomed. As did his friendship with Ricky Hendrick. Vickers won last year's Busch series title and became NASCAR's youngest series champion, celebrating the achievement with Hendrick and his dad. Vickers' joy was tempered that day at Homestead-Miami Speedway because he lost a hat the late Adam Petty gave him. Vickers carried the hat in his car since Petty's death.

Asked about the missing hat, Vickers tried to talk but couldn't even three years after his friend's death. Vickers merely shook his head.

And now this. Another friend gone.

After a brief delay in his opening remarks Friday, Vickers raised his head and regrouped.

"It was a sad day for a lot of people," he said in his first public comments since the crash.

"Obviously, I lost a dear friend. They will be all deeply missed," Vickers said bowing his head, "for a long time to come until we all get to see them again."

He finished, his head raised.

Vickers took no questions and sat silent for 30 minutes as the remembrance continued. A sponsor's cap shielded his eyes, his head often hung and deep, aching sighs lifted and lowered his broad shoulders. He, along with all the team drivers, wore a blue wristband with the phrase "Life is a team sport."

Meanwhile, crew members worked in the garage on his blue Chevrolet, its hood black and a decal with the picture of all 10 victims on it. The hoods on all four Hendrick Cup cars looked the same. Crew members worked on a gloomy, overcast day reminiscent of the conditions in which the Hendrick plane crashed.

When Vickers' teammates were asked about Ricky Hendrick, Vickers sighed. Jimmie Johnson, seated to Vickers' left, leaned over to Vickers and whispered to his teammate.

Vickers sniffled when he heard Robbie Loomis, Gordon's crew chief, explain what he learned from Petty's death.

"Take time to think about those people you love, how you appreciate them and ... while you can," Loomis said.

When Johnson followed to describe the support in the garage area, Vickers wiped his eyes and later subtly nodded as Johnson thanked those for their support.

When the session ended, the Hendrick members walked out a side door. Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief, put his arm around Vickers as they walked through the door and headed toward the garage area to begin another work day.