PREVIEW: BRIAN VICKERS (NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET)
VENUE: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (.533-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 24 OF 36)
EVENT: SATURDAY, AUG. 26 (500 LAPS, 266.5 MILES)

'25' ON A ROLL: With a 15th-place result Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, the GMAC Racing team extended its streak of consecutive top-20 finishes to 10 races, dating back to Pocono Raceway in June. During the stretch, the team has moved from 22nd to 15th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series standings while maintaining an average finish of 13.5.

PASSING ON THE 'LUCKY DOG': Brian Vickers, who wheels the No. 25 GMAC Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, is one of just three drivers to start all 23 races this season without utilizing NASCAR's "Lucky Dog" pass. Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton are the others who have not used the pass, which allows a team to regain a lost lap on the race track.

HENDRICK TEAMS STRONG IN PAST 10: In the past 10 NEXTEL Cup races, Vickers has accumulated the ninth-most points (1,268) in the series, with the Hendrick Motorsports teams of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch ranking fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Kevin Harvick leads the circuit with 1,457 points in that span.

CHASSIS 357 FOR GMAC TEAM: The No. 25 GMAC Racing team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 357 when the NEXTEL Cup Series returns to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this week, marking the car's third race of the season. It has seen 2006 action at Bristol in March and Dover, Del., in June.

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BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET: (WHY ARE THE RACES AT BRISTOL SO POPULAR?) "Everybody praises Bristol for its great racing, but it's a one-groove race track and more often than not it is more follow-the-leader kind of racing. It's cool because the track is a high-banked half-mile and it's fast. I enjoy going there, but if you really think about it they've done a good job at hyping the race because tempers flare, which the fans like."

VICKERS: (DO YOU APPROACH THE RACES AT BRISTOL DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU DO OTHER TRACKS?) "Your approach focuses on staying out of trouble because it's so unpredictable. The fastest car doesn't always win at Bristol. Nine times out of 10 you're going to get caught up in someone's mess that you had no part of when it started because there are so many things out of your control. Maybe that's why the fans enjoy the racing there so much."

VICKERS: (RACING AT BRISTOL HAS A TENDENCY TO BRING OUT THE WORST IN SOME DRIVERS. HAVE YOU EVER REACHED THAT POINT THERE?) "I've never been a person that completely loses their head. I'll get mad and I've retaliated toward people and let them know I didn't appreciate something they did, but I don't think I'm the kind of driver that would go completely ballistic when someone does something foolish."