Excited Vickers prepared for the 'Big One'

My latest effort for Red Bull:

The key to winning at the Talladega Superspeedway is simple – stay out front to avoid the 'Big One' and have enough left to fight off challengers at the finish.

But the three, four and sometimes even five-wide, flat-out racing at the 2.66-mile Alabama tri-oval doesn't make it easy. Add 33-degree banked turns and restrictor plate-enabled packs and NASCAR's biggest track often becomes something of a lottery.

A restrictor plate is a device bolted between a car's carburettor and engine intake manifold that reduces horsepower by limiting the amount of fuel mixture reaching the combustion chamber. Used at Daytona and Talladega, the restrictor plates keep the cars bunched up in tight formations where one miscue can lead to disaster. And make no mistake, it's really a question of when — not if — the 'Big One' happens.

More at: http://bit.ly/NXV4t