Brian Vickers has an average start of 14.8 at Dover. Credit: Autostock

Brian Vickers Mailbag: Moments to forget

Brian Vickers heads to Dover International Speedway this week for the Neighborhood Excellence 400. Vickers' best finish at The Monster Mile came in this race last year when the No. 25 car crossed the line sixth.

Q: What's your most embarrassing moment as a race car driver? -- several users

	Credit: Autostock
	VICKERS MAILBAG Brian Vickers will answer fans' questions each week on NASCAR.COM.  •   To post a question, click here

Vickers: That would have to be when I was younger, racing go-karts and got my finger stuck in one of the holes in the spoke of the steering wheel. We were setting the go-kart up for a race and I was playing around like kids do, touching everything and I put my finger in the steering wheel hole and it didn't come out.

I slept with the steering wheel on my finger overnight before we went to the hospital the next day. The doctor tried everything to get it off. It hurt bad. My dad told the doctors to keep trying to get my finger out because he didn't want them to cut the steering wheel and waste a perfectly good steering wheel. Eventually, they had to cut the steering wheel to get my finger out. Now, that's embarrassing.

Q: You always seem to be a large part in the stories Jimmie Johnson tells on his XM show. So first off, have you recovered from your kite-tube experience on Lake Norman? (Ouch!!)

Vickers: I have recovered from the kite-tube experience and I want to go on the record and say that Jimmie's recollections of the events were greatly exaggerated on his behalf.

Nonetheless, it was a breath-taking experience. Jimmie elected to explain to his listeners that I told him I was 50 feet in the air, traveling at 80 mph. Those words never came out of my mouth. I was 35 feet in the air and I hit at 40 mph, which was the speed the boat was traveling at.

Q: Rusty Wallace is helping the development of a racetrack in Newton, Iowa. If the situation arises what type of track would you like to develop? -- Mike, Illinois

Vickers: I really like Nashville Superspeedway. It's not a track the Cup Series races at, but it has a lot of good characteristics. It has the qualities of Richmond, but it's a little faster and you get a better sensation for the speed from a driver and fan perspective.

It's not too fast though, because the track has tight-enough corners that give it a smaller track feel without being one of the typical flat, mile-and-a-half tracks. I would take Nashville, put a little more banking to it and make it progressively-banked like Homestead.

Q: You were on The Daily Show a while back. What were your impressions of that? -- Matt, Delmar, NY

Vickers: The Daily Show was a neat experience that we were able to take part in working with one of our sponsors Garnier Fructis. It was perfect because I enjoy that kind of stuff, the quick-witted and smart-aleck-type humor.

It was a lot of fun, but you wouldn't believe the number of people that thought the piece was 100 percent real. I thought it turned out well.

Q: Who do you get advice from? -- several users

Vickers: I have a variety of people I turn to when it comes to getting advice. When it comes to racing advice, more than anybody I probably lean on Jeff [Gordon] and Jimmie [Johnson] the most.

Together, they've have a wealth of experiences to draw from while often providing a unique perspective at times.