Vickers hits out at Kyle Busch

Busch criticized Vickers after Brad Keselowski snatched victory from them, when the Red Bull-backed driver tried to fend off the Joe Gibbs racer on the final lap of the event. Team members from Joe Gibbs Racing later halted a shoving incident between the two.

Speaking on Friday at Michigan, Vickers said he has had it with Busch and warned that he will race his rival the same way he himself is raced. Both drivers are currently outside the top 12 in the standings, trying to secure a spot in the series play-off with just two races left before the Chase starts.

"I don't know if you want to call it 'strike-one' or 'strike-two', but either way he's out of strikes," said Vickers.

"It's definitely in the memory banks, it's not something I'm mad about. I wasn't mad about it at the time, to be honest with you. I'm willing to race him hard and clean and move on down the road and if he's not willing to do that then I'm willing to take whatever path he chooses.

"I'm going to race him the way he races me, he knows that and he's been aware of that for a very long time and that's not going to change."

Vickers also said he felt sorry for Busch for the way he reacted following the race at Michigan, saying that moving forward, it is Busch's call if he wants to take matters further.

"In a lot of ways I feel sorry for him," Vickers added. "I hate that he lives in such an angry place. To be so mad about something so small - it must be miserable to live like that. That's just not the way I live my life. I'm very blessed to have great parents that raised me to be a very different person.

"I'm in a great position there and I'm very lucky that way that I was raised differently. I'm fine with it - whatever happens moving forward - the ball's in his court."

Vickers will start Saturday night's race at Bristol from 14th on the grid, right ahead of Kyle Busch.