BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Last season, a seventh-place finish would have been exhilarating for Brian Vickers and his No. 83 Red Bull Racing team. But this is 2008, expectations are greater and, after starting on the pole, finishing seventh just isn't what Vickers had in mind when he took the green flag Sunday in the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

"I guess [I'm pleased]. Not really," Vickers said. "We felt like we had a car capable of winning. It's a double-edged sword -- we're happy about having a good points day and a solid run in the top five all day, but we're disappointed we didn't have a shot at the win at the end."

“

Obviously, last year we would have been ecstatic to have this finish. Now, we are disappointed -- or at least I am.

”

BRIAN VICKERS

Vickers' day started with his first 2008 pole and fifth in 159 Cup Series races. But when Lap 1 was complete it was Jimmie Johnson who was out front, not Vickers. The No. 83 eventually found its way to the front, leading twice for 21 laps and giving Vickers an important five bonus points in the standings.

Vickers stayed in the top five for more than half the race, falling to his lowest of 15th on Lap 140. By Lap 150, though, he was back in the top five and on the Lap 169 restart, he was out front looking like he would challenge for his first victory with the second-year Red Bull team.

Unfortunately for Vickers, it wasn't meant to be as the handling on his Toyota declined and he had a hard time adjusting to the changing track conditions.

"We chased the track a little bit, I think everybody did," Vickers said. "We didn't chase it quite fast enough. The track continued to get looser and looser and we didn't keep up with it quite as fast as we needed to.

"The last two stops we decided to go with two tires and go for it. We over-adjusted for the two tires and it was just too tight at the end to really do anything."

The Michigan finish gives Vickers his sixth top-10 of the season and moves him up two spots in the point standings to 15th with three races left until the Chase for Sprint Cup begins at New Hampshire.

At this time last year, Vickers was 39th in points, qualifying for just 14 of the 23 races and enjoying just one top-10 finish; so clearly things are remarkably improved just 12 months later.

"It was a good points day. That's one thing that we can walk away being happy about," Vickers said. "Obviously, last year we would have been ecstatic to have this finish. Now, we are disappointed -- or at least I am."

The focus for Vickers and his team shifts to the .533-mile short track at Bristol Motor Speedway. Just 166 points out of the 12th and final position for the Chase, it's not unthinkable that Vickers can put that Red Bull Racing Toyota into the top 12.

"I'm really proud of the Red Bull Toyota team. We did a good job all day. It was a great points day," Vickers said. "It's frustrating -- you want to win one of these races so bad and you think you have an opportunity to, and you don't capitalize on it. We just have to get them next week."

Also
• Vickers follows fast practice with pole at Michigan