news-record.com

What are the experiences, beliefs and dreams that shape the lives NASCAR drivers? Staff writer Dustin Long asked Brian Vickers about these subjects on March 7 as Vickers relaxed on a couch in his motorhome at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Here is what Vickers said:

I had always wanted to sky dive.

I wanted to feel the rush.

They say that once you're on the plane, there's only one way out.

You can't ride it back down. Everybody can spot the rookie. They freaking haze them. They'd say like when the door opens up, you've got to hold on tight or it will suck you right up. I knew better than that. They were trying their hardest to screw with me.

That rush the first time you jump out of a plane.

You're heart is in your throat.

I do admire Einstein.

Once he set out on a mission, the things that he came up with were incredible.

When it comes to the Dalai Lama, I read this book one time that really got to me, "The Art of Happiness.''

The Dalai Lama, his perspective on life I really like. The positive, the negative and the mediation. I got into that. To be able to walk with that kind of peace and (be) non-judgmental, that's so difficult.

I don't know if you can answer what is God.

It's a spiritual question that everybody has to answer for themselves. That's a tough, tough subject. In general most people believe in a God; they call it by different names. So many religions that were born in different times and different parts of the world have so many things in common &ellipses; what it tells me is that society doesn't have everything figured out.

This sounds like the Egyptian religion where you go to heaven you are asked two questions.

Are you happy and do you make other people happy? How are you making the world a better place? I try to be as nice as I can be to everybody and helpful. I think when you're good to people they pass that along. When I see people do admirable things, it makes me want to do admirable things. I think that's one of the most effective ways to make the world a better place.

I'd like to speak Spanish, French and Mandarin.

Spanish because it's the second most popular language, especially in America. Between Spanish and English you can cover most of the world. French, I think is a beautiful language and it's popular. And then Mandarin because it's the most popular language in China. I think that's an economy and a country and a people we're going to have to communicate with and deal with for generations to come.

I would say that it's amazing how smart my parents really were.

When you grow up and you listen to them, you're like "Oh, they don't know what I'm talking about. They don't understand my generation. I could fool them." No you can't. What's really surprising is not that they were right but why they're right. They're right because they did the same thing you did.

My grandmother told me the two most important things that she could tell me was patience and forgiveness.

She said you've got to be patient. Everyone is going to let you down, and you've got to be able to forgive them. She was 100 percent right.

I had someone tell me one time --Ken Howes actually, when I was at Hendrick -- he said there are three things that I can guarantee you of.

I was like I can't wait to hear this. He said you're going to be born, you're going to die and everything will change in between. So far he's been right. I was born. Everything has changed. That's the thing in my life that surprises me, I guess when you're young, you always have these ambitions and these things you're going to hold on to and will always be there, friends &ellipses; or a loved one that is with you that you think is always going to be there. That's not the case. That's OK. That's just a part of life.

I'm not jaded, but I didn't go to college so I didn't come out a liberal and become a Republican.

I've just always been a Republican, so I'm not jaded. Most of the people that I know went to college, my sister included, they come out of college thinking they can solve all of the world's problems &ellipses; eventually they realize that's how the world really works.

I'm just not good talking about myself.

I used to get in trouble if I bragged.

I have a safe at home.

There's no money in it. It has things like a hat that Adam (Petty) gave me, some stuff that Ricky (Hendrick) gave me, some stuff that we shared together. A toy airplane that my grandfather gave me that passed away on my dad's side of the family. A lucky dollar bill that I had on my steering wheel in racing for years and years and years and years that I always thought brought me luck. I keep a folder of Christmas cards and notes and very kind things that people send me and thank you letters, all the congratulation letters, I keep those kinds of things in my safe.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com