PREVIEW: BRIAN VICKERS (NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET)
VENUE: ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.54-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 33 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, OCT. 29, 2006 (325 LAPS, 500.5 MILES)

NOT CHASING, BUT '25' IS PERFORMING: Despite not being one of the 10 competing for this year's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series title, Brian Vickers and his No. 25 GMAC Racing team have accumulated 804 points since the Chase for the Championship began. It's the third-best total among all teams and just 47 markers fewer than Carl Edwards (851 points), who has amassed the most points during the six-race stretch.

BEST SINCE '96: In 2005, Vickers and the No. 25 Chevrolet team wound up 17th in the NEXTEL Cup standings. With four races to go in the 2006 season, the GMAC Racing contingent currently rests 15th overall, 54 points out of 14th. A finish of 16th or better in the season-ending rundown would mark the group's best result since 1996 when Ken Schrader finished 12th.

FIRST '25' START WAS ATLANTA: Vickers made his No. 25 Chevrolet debut in October 2003 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he qualified fourth and finished 43rd in Cup competition. Since then, he's made 107 starts on the circuit.

CHASSIS 353 THIS WEEKEND: Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 353 will be the primary option for the No. 25 GMAC team at Atlanta. The car last saw racing action at Michigan International Speedway in August, finishing 15th.

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BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET: (ATLANTA HAS ALWAYS GARNERED ATTENTION FOR ITS HIGH SPEEDS. DOES THAT STILL APPLY?) "With its age, the track is starting to slow down because of the older pavement. We get to experience two different tracks when we race at Atlanta. At night, when we typically qualify, the temperatures are cool, the track has a lot of grip, we run right around the bottom and that's when we see those high speeds. On race day, the speeds drop off after a few laps and you see everyone searching for a line around the track, whether it's up top, in the middle or down low."

VICKERS: (ON THE TEAM'S MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW.) "We've been running strong. All of us on the GMAC Racing team are really trying to end the season with some solid runs. So far, the last few races have been good for us and we have the opportunity to finish things out with an improvement in the standings. Last year we finished 17th and, if we continue at our current pace, beating that shouldn't be a problem."

VICKERS: (ON ATLANTA.) "From a driver's perspective, you can't ask any more out of a track than what we have at Atlanta with all of the racing grooves to choose from. As the tires get worn, everyone begins to search for grip, which includes running on the bottom, the middle or up against the wall. You can find yourself racing with another car for laps at a time, with one of you up top and the other on the bottom or in the middle. It's a great place to race."