Brian Vickers totaled 10 top-10 finishes in the 2005 Nextel Cup Series. Credit: Autostock

In Review: Brian Vickers

While Victory Lane eluded him, big gains were made in '05

Brian Vickers isn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

You won't find him chucking helmets at Michael Waltrip or complaining that the paint scheme on his car was sometimes painted lima-bean green.

Inside the Numbers Brian Vickers in 2005 Race Start Finish Daytona 500 28 21 Auto Club 500 2 21 UAW-DaimChrys 400 32 43 Golden Corral 500 8 6 Food City 500 12 12 Advance 500 27 35 Sam./RShack 500 24 34 Subway Fresh 500 5 5 Aaron's 499 37 37 Dodge Charger 500 5 16 Chevy 400 29 32 Coca-Cola 600 14 31 RacePoints 400 27 6 Pocono 500 3 2 Batman 400 7 41 Dodge/S. Mart 350 18 34 Pepsi 400 16 29 USG 400 5 4 New England 300 1 11 Pennsylvania 500 8 14 Allstate 400 5 3 Sirius at the Glen 22 8 GFS Marketplace 400 7 9 Sharpie 500 23 20 Sony HD 500 9 3 Chevy 400 22 37 Sylvania 300 31 13 RacePoints 400 26 14 UAW-Ford 500 27 6 Banquet 400 17 11 UAW-GM Quality 500 25 12 Subway 500 17 36 Bass Pro Shops 500 11 15 Dickies 500 21 19 Checker 500 6 26 Ford 400 18 43 Average 16.5 19.6 Spin to winVickers spins Bliss to win the Nextel Open Learning curveVickers is adjusting to life in the Cup series Making improvementsVickers scores a career-best finish at Pocono Raceway Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

When Tony Stewart came to confront him at Sonoma during his rookie season, Vickers laughed. When dealt a crushing defeat by Carl Edwards at Pocono a year later, Vickers shrugged and said he would keep digging.

So when he failed to win in his sophomore season in the Nextel Cup Series, it is tough to tell if it bothered him much.

Maybe he was having too good a time to worry about it. He will already have more than 100 Nextel Cup starts by his 23rd birthday, all with a team that can win on any given weekend.

It is difficult for Vickers to get down on himself, even if he was the lone Hendrick Motorsports driver to go winless in 2005. (Unless you count Charlotte in May, when he enraged Mike Bliss by spinning him to take the non-points paying Nextel Open).

Yes. Vickers went 0-for-36. There were glaring holes in his season, mainly a lack of consistency on short tracks, where he cracked the top 15 just once.

Even though Vickers struggled on the short tracks, he still led laps at 10 of the 36 races.

Most of the laps he led came in bunches. Vickers was one of the best drivers in the series during the difficult summer swing. His good fortune started in May at the Coca-Cola 600, where he led 98 laps before Vickers admittedly wrecked Bill Elliott due to over-aggressiveness.

Vickers was a lowly 27th in the standings on June 1, but the performance at Charlotte seemed to wake the team up. Freshly reunited with crew chief Lance McGrew, Vickers says it took several weeks to adjust to the changes his No. 25 program underwent after the 2004 season.

"We had a year apart. New shop, new people," said Vickers. "We were behind the eight ball the whole time."

Vickers had 10 top-10s on the season, but most of them came in the 13-week stretch that ran from Dover to Fontana. A poor November prevented him from finishing in the top 15 in the standings.

The highlight of Vickers' summer streak came on June 12, when Vickers led 121 of the 200 laps at the notoriously difficult Pocono Raceway.

Edwards swiped the victory from Vickers when he passed him with 28 laps to go, but the message had been sent.

Vickers went on to finish third at Indianapolis, collecting a check for $289,850 that helped him earn nearly $4 million for the year.

Vickers' numbers tailed off as the season wore on. The lone bright spot in the final 10 races was a stunning charge at Talladega, where Vickers threatened to win before finishing sixth. In a sport where plate racing is often despised, Vickers is one of a select few who enjoys it.

TAKE A LOOK •   Photo Gallery:  Brian Vickers

"I am learning a lot about these racetracks. We are getting our speedway program better," said Vickers. " You have to learn how to lose a speedway race before you can win one. I was having a blast. I love restrictor-plate racing."

Vickers was the second-most improved driver on the circuit in 2005, and he will be expected to contend for a Chase spot next year.

"During the summer months we really had some good runs, which I think showed the potential of our team," said Vickers. "Now, I'm confident we have the right ingredients to come out of the box strong in '06 and continue along, making the Chase in the process."