Why Brian Vickers and Casey Mears want new rides 

	Falling to third after Johnson (48) caught him in the last lap of the Aaron's 499 likely inspired Vickers (25) to leave Hendrick. Andy Lyon/Getty Images
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The best moment in racing is the run to the checkered flag, with mere inches separating the thrill of victory from the agony of defeat. Second place is nothing more than the first loser. For Nextel Cup's two newest free agents, the agony of losing to one driver in particular determined their futures with their soon-to-be-former teams.

Brian Vickers claims that his decision to leave Hendrick Motorsports was a recent one, but it seemed inevitable after the Aaron's 499 at Talladega on May 1. With only a handful of laps remaining, Vickers had himself perfectly positioned to win his first career Nextel Cup race. He was moving masterfully to the front with his Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson in tow.

With the cars coming to the white flag, all Vickers needed was a push and some blocks from Johnson and he would be well on his way to victory. Instead, Johnson dove to the inside and passed him; just like that. The winning momentum that Vickers' team sorely needed was lost, and Vickers finished an all-too-disappointing third.

While the top driver in the Hendrick stable sprayed the bubbly in Victory Lane, Vickers once again faced the realization that he was well down in the pecking order, the only Hendrick driver not ranked in the top 10 in points after that race. The deflation of that defeat led to three wrecks and finishes of 37th, 41st and 37th in his next three races. Vickers found himself out of contention for the Chase for a third straight season -- good enough reason, in his mind, to head for the door at Hendrick.

Meanwhile, across the garage area, Casey Mears had been having some frustrating finishes of his own. Entering 2006, the flagship driver for the Chip Ganassi stables had fostered a close relationship with rookie teammates David Stremme and Reed Sorenson. All appeared to be well at the Ganassi camp heading into Daytona. In the Daytona 500, Mears followed a good friend named Jimmie Johnson to the front of the pack and put himself in position to win the race in the closing laps. However, instead of making a banzai move for the win, Mears decided to settle in behind Johnson for second, denying himself the distinction of becoming only the fifth driver to make the Great American Race his first Nextel Cup win.