Coca-Cola 600 - Brian Vickers Notes

VICKERS AT LMS: This Sunday, Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolets, will make his second career start at Lowe's Motor Speedway on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series level. A Thomasville, N.C., native, Vickers made his Cup Series debut at the 1.5-mile oval on Oct. 11, 2003, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd in the No. 60 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

FIRST TOP-10 FOR '25': Vickers and his GMAC Racing team captured their first top-10 finish of 2004 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway two weeks ago. The 20-year-old's previous career-best Cup Series finish came in April at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished 12th.

FIRST POLE FOR VICKERS: In his 16th career Cup Series event, Vickers earned his first-ever pole position at RIR, setting a new track record and becoming the youngest driver to win a Cup Series pole in NASCAR's modern era, which dates back to 1972.

CHASSIS NO. 2551 FOR GMAC RACING: The No. 25 GMAC Financial Services team will field Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 2551 this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The same car was used to compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway and California Speedway earlier this season, qualifying second and sixth, respectively.

VICKERS SALUTES 101ST: On the dashboard of Vickers' No. 25 Chevrolet this weekend will be a decal from the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, based in Fort Campbell, Ky. Matt Cline, a friend of Vickers', is a member of the 101st "Screaming Eagles," who recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. The 101st was also one of the first units to enter Afghanistan after Sept. 11.

BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES CHEVROLETS: (HOW MUCH DID YOU LEARN FROM THE ALL-STAR RACE?) "I think we learned a lot that we'll be able to apply to this weekend's race at Lowe's. We'll have a different car than we ran during the all-star event for this weekend's race and the setup is going to be a little bit different, too. Because of the length of the race and when it is run, we'll have a lot more adjustability built into our setup to keep up with the changing track conditions."

VICKERS: (THIS IS YOUR FIRST 600-MILE RACE. WILL YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY TO PREPARE?) "Like always, I will make sure I drink plenty of fluids throughout the week and pay close attention to what I eat. I have a cool-air system inside the car, along with a unit for drinking. I'm not expecting the '600' to be a walk in the park, but as long as I keep drinking Gatorade during the race, I should be all right."

VICKERS: (WHAT MAKES LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER 1.5-MILE TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE?) "The age of the track gives Charlotte its character. It's not the perfect track -- and drivers like that. There are bumps in some places that unsettle the car, and the walls aren't perfectly straight in other spots. You have to stay on your toes and pay attention to the changing track conditions. If you don't, you're liable to end up in the wall."