Vickers feeling 'mixed emotions'

The Hendrick Motorsports driver tagged his title-chasing teammate Jimmie Johnson on the last lap, but went on to take victory as Johnson collided with race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Vickers was booed by fans after the race and criticised by Johnson's side of the team, but still wanted to celebrate his success.

"I love the fact that we won, it's awesome," he said. "We got to celebrate in victory lane, and it was great, but it is frustrating the way it has happened.

Vickers admitted that he didn't think he could win the race for himself, but wanted to push Johnson into the lead on the final lap.

"I was going to try and push Jimmie to a win," he said. "When you're sitting in third at Talladega on the last lap, your chances of winning are slim. Jimmie is my teammate so when he pulled out I went with him.

"Junior went to block him though and by the time I got to him he had lost his momentum and I got into him. The last thing I wanted to do was get into Jimmie and wreck either one of those guys."

Vickers will leave Hendrick at the end of the season, but said that he wouldn't have done anything different if he was staying with the team.

"If I wasn't leaving it wouldn't have changed anything," he said. "Jimmie wasn't going to be able to win the race without me pushing him, and I wanted a 1-2 for the team.

"I have mixed emotions, but it means a lot to me personally to get my first win at Hendrick Motorsports before I leave."

Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus said that he didn't think Vickers "had the talent to understand what was underneath him."

Vickers said: "I'm sure Jimmie's crew is upset, but everybody makes mistakes. Jimmie and Junior have both accidentally caused wrecks at superspeedways before."