Vickers focused as title chase heads to Kansas

CONCORD, N.C. -- Now comes the hard part.

Brian Vickers has proven he can handle adversity, like he did after the controversy at Texas Motor Speedway. Vickers has proven he can win, like he did at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Vickers has proven he can be a consistent winner, going to victory lane at Darlington and two weeks ago at Dover.

Vickers has proven he can lead the NASCAR Busch Series points standings. Now, can he hang on to it?

They say staying at the top is harder than getting there. Beginning this weekend in the Mr. Goodcents 300 at Kansas Speedway, Vickers will find out if that's true.

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Vickers, the 19-year-old phenom, took over the points lead with his victory at Dover. He's up by 32 points over Scott Riggs, 61 over Ron Hornaday, 67 over David Green, 106 over Jason Keller.

But despite having those veterans chasing him, Vickers doesn't sound too worried.

"It feels the same as when we were third in points," Vickers said. "Now, come Miami, if we're still the leader, then it will feel pretty good. When the year's over and the checkered flag falls at Homestead, there's going to be a big difference in how I feel depending upon where we finish, but right now the fact we're in the top five feels good."

Vickers has been in points races before, but this ain't the Hooters Pro Cup. Vickers, though, has been able to keep a level head through what is turning out to be a sensational season. Perhaps one shouldn't expect anything different down the stretch.

"We've already met and surpassed the goals we set before the season," Vickers said. "Any time you can perform above expectations it's a plus. At the beginning of the year, no one expected us to compete for the championship, but we've already won three races and exceeded everyone else's expectations, and that's a pretty good feeling in itself."

	Vickers leads the series in wins and top-10s. Credit: Autostock

Besides, Vickers has come a long way this season -- all the way from 42nd place. That's where he finished in the season-opener at Daytona, but he and crew chief Lance McGrew have fought all the way back to the top of the heap.

"It was a bad start, but I think it says a lot about our team and the never-give-up attitude that we have," Vickers said. "Even when things were bad, everyone on this team supported one another, and now we've got things steered in the right direction. With this being my first full season, and the first season for all of us working together, it really says a lot about the organization and our desire to be successful."

Vickers probably should have four victories this season, but one was snatched from him at Texas earlier this year. NASCAR said he passed before the start line on a restart and penalized him. Right or wrong, Vickers was penalized. He later crashed while stuck in the back of the pack, meaning he had a wrecked race car instead of a victory.

But Vickers persevered, finally getting to Victory Lane at IRP. And the victories haven't stopped, as Vickers has won three of the last six Busch Series races.

"In any series you compete in, the first win is the toughest," Vickers said. "It's hard to explain why, but it is. It's not like they come easier, but after you win it seems like the pressure is relieved and there's a sense of confidence that comes along with winning."

Vickers' confidence should be on the rise. He'll be moving to Nextel Cup for 2004 and will make his debut in the series next weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

But Vickers isn't your stereotypical teenager. As cool as driving Winston Cup might be, Vickers won't lose focus on the task at hand.

"I can't wait," Vickers said. "It's a great opportunity for me to gain more experience for next season at a track I'm familiar with. As great of an opportunity as this is, I need to be careful and not get wrapped up in it all because the main focus at this point is still winning the Busch Series championship."

Maybe it won't be so hard after all.