Is there bad blood lingering between Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers?
As feuds between friends go, this one probably doesn’t rise to the catfight furor of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, but the days of Johnson and Vickers crashing Manhattan nightspots together probably are over. Johnson felt Vickers’ apologies weren’t genuine after he accidentally spun his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. As of Thursday afternoon, Johnson and Vickers hadn’t spoken about the incident, and Vickers said the aftermath hampered the enjoyment of his first Nextel Cup victory in the No. 25, which had been winless since 2003. “Those guys worked so hard to see (the) car back in Victory Lane, and they haven’t really been able to celebrate it the way they should be able to,” Vickers said. “I’ve said time and time again it wasn’t intentional. I left him a message that said I was sorry.” Vickers is optimistic of putting the incident behind him, but his impending departure next season already has fostered a strain
