Vickers young, good

19-year-old wins Winn-Dixie 200

? Teenage teammates Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in the Busch Series Winn-Dixie 200 Saturday at Darlington Raceway.

The 19-year-old Vickers was trailing veteran Winston Cup driver Michael Waltrip late in the race when Scott Wimmer’s crash brought out the fifth caution flag of the race.

All the leaders pitted, and Vickers’ Hendrick Motorsports crew got him back onto the track just ahead of Waltrip.

Green-flag racing resumed with 16 laps to go and Vickers pulled steadily away, moving out to a lead of more than two seconds before the 18-year-old Busch — brother of Winston Cup standout Kurt Busch — passed Waltrip for second.

That’s the way it finished, with Vickers’ Chevrolet crossing the line 1.977-seconds — about 10 car lengths — ahead of Busch’s Monte Carlo. It is the second Busch Series victory for Vickers in 50 starts and the second runner-up finish for Busch in three starts.

Waltrip held off Bobby Hamilton Jr. for fourth. Kevin Harvick, who led a race-high 76 laps, fell out of contention when a loose lugnut on his final pit stop cost him position and finished fifth, just ahead of Kasey Kahne. Hamilton, Harvick and Kahne are all in their 20s.

“A race car doesn’t know how old the driver is,” the 40-year-old Waltrip said. “I keep telling people, with the equipment these young guys get into nowadays, it’s not surprising they have so much success.”

As for Vickers and Busch, the youngest drivers in the 43-car field, Waltrip said, “You add their age together and it doesn’t equal how old I am. They don’t know any better that they can’t do the job. They get in the car and they get on it.”

Vickers beat Waltrip out of the pits to take the lead twice during the 147-lap event, but the first time he got held up by a lapped car on the restart and Waltrip got back on top.

Drivers Jason White, left, and Rick Markle collide during the NASCAR Busch Series Winn-Dixie 200. Brian Vickers won the race Saturday in Darlington, S.C.

Vickers gave most of the credit for Saturday’s win to his crew.

“They got us in the lead twice and that was against a Winston Cup team, too,” he said.

Vickers said he probably would not have passed Waltrip without the last pit stop.

“Michael had an awesome car on the long runs and those Winston Cup guys know how to keep you from passing in situations like that,” Vickers said.

Scott Riggs finished 17th and saw his points lead over David Green, who finished 14th, shrink from 28 to 19 points.