PREVIEW: BRIAN VICKERS (NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET)
VENUE: MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 23 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, AUG. 20 (200 LAPS, 400 MILES)

100TH START FOR VICKERS: Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC Chevrolet, will make his 100th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. The 22-year-old Vickers, in his third full Cup season with Hendrick Motorsports, has earned three pole positions and 19 top-10 finishes in his career. All of Vickers' Cup starts have come with primary sponsorship support from GMAC, which is headquartered in Detroit, just 70 miles east of MIS.

MOVIN' ON UP: Since the NEXTEL Cup Series' most recent visit to Michigan on June 18, the No. 25 GMAC Racing team has strung together eight top-20 finishes, the worst of which being an 18th-place result at Daytona Beach, Fla., in July. During this stretch, Vickers has moved from 22nd to 15th in the standings.

VICKERS AVERAGES TOP-10 START: In five NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan, Vickers has posted an average starting position of 8.2, best among active Cup drivers.

CHASSIS 353 FOR GMAC RACING: Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 353 will be Vickers' primary option for this weekend's 400-miler at Michigan. The car last saw racing action in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where it finished 22nd. Since then, it has been re-bodied in preparation for use at MIS.

VICKERS GOING RETRO IN BUSCH RACE: Vickers will drive a No. 57 Mountain Dew Chevrolet identical to the green, white and red car Darrell Waltrip drove to his first Cup title in 1981. Vickers has already seen six races of Busch Series action this season, posting two top-five finishes and four top-10s.

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BRIAN VICKERS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET: (ON MAKING HIS 100TH CAREER NEXTEL CUP START.) "It's gone by fast and I think it's good to have had the opportunities I've had. Once I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a race car driver, my goal was to be the best driver I could be and race at the highest level. Now I feel like I'm at the highest level and, besides not winning a race yet or a championship, reaching 100 starts is a nice milestone to achieve."

VICKERS: (ON BEING ONE OF ONLY THREE DRIVERS NOT TO HAVE USED A LUCKY DOG PASS IN 2006.) "Not using a Lucky Dog pass yet this season is kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it means our GMAC Racing team has been finishing on the lead lap a lot. On the other hand, it means when we've had difficulties, things have been tough. Unfortunately, we did have a stretch of a few races where we didn't finish well earlier this summer, but as of late we've been running well."

VICKERS: (ON THE DECISION TO GO FOR THE WIN BY STAYING OUT AND NOT PITTING DURING THE JUNE RACE AT MICHIGAN.) "You can't always predict when it's going to rain. We took a chance and we missed it, but that's okay -- at least we went for it (the win). We stayed out for one caution hoping the rain would come and it didn't. Then, on the next caution, everyone else stayed out and we had to pit -- and then the rain came. At that point we were stuck back in the field. It's tough because we had a top-five or top-three car."