TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Since his controversial win at Talladega Superspeedway three years ago, Brian Vickers has been trying ever since to keep from being categorized as a "one-hit wonder."

He left Hendrick Motorsports to join the fledgling Red Bull operation at the start of 2007, only to struggle with the start-up team. Vickers missed 13 races but qualified third here, then followed that with a fifth-place finish in last year's spring race.

“

The pit road stuff that's cost us some wins and some good finishes, we seem to be getting under control. We've got a new pit coach [Lance Munksgard] who's done a great job. The guys are really starting to come together the past few weeks.

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-- BRIAN VICKERS

Vickers was poised for a breakout this season, but it seems like every step forward for the No. 83 Toyota team has resulted in two steps back.

"Texas was probably the only track where we had a 15th-place car," Vickers said Friday in preparation for Sunday's Aaron's 499. "Other than that we've run in the top 10 or top five and we've had a car capable of that and we've put ourselves in that position, we had a car capable of winning and we led laps but we've beat ourselves."

After a crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the season-opening Daytona 500, Vickers was fast but promptly had engine issues the next two weekends.

"[At] California, we sat on the pole and had to start last because the engine blew up," Vickers said. "[At Las Vegas,] we qualified well, had a winning car and had to start last because the engine blew up."

Vickers' best opportunity to snap his 86-race winless streak might have come at Atlanta. And then the bottom fell out of his season at Martinsville and Bristol, where he finished back in the pack.

"[I] was racing for the lead when the caution came out and lost like seven spots in the pits," Vickers said. "Bristol, I think we cut a tire."

And Phoenix was more of the same for Vickers, who started fifth and finished 19th. He was penalized for a pit-road speeding violation that wound up being linked to a faulty part.

"Last week, we got caught for speeding on pit road which ultimately is my responsibility and I'll take responsibility for that, but we found out when we got back to the shop that the tach was off," Vickers said. "So those are the kind of mistakes that we can't make. The mistake with the tach is unfortunate, but it's something we've got to get a handle on."

But Vickers said there are signs that the team is turning the corner.

"It seems like Toyota has fixed the engine problem," he said. "The pit road stuff that's cost us some wins and some good finishes, we seem to be getting under control. We've got a new pit coach [Lance Munksgard] who's done a great job.

"The guys are really starting to come together the past few weeks. We haven't made up a lot of spots but we haven't lost any either. We've had a good consistent day on pit road."

Ultimately, Vickers said the difference between the top-flight teams and those on the outside looking in has less to do with equipment and talent, and more to do with execution and consistency.

"You can't win a championship and continually step on your own feet," Vickers said. "You can't continue to make those mistakes, but when it comes to performance we had it last year and we have it this year. We're running well enough and we're running plenty fast enough to win races and run in the top five, we've just got to stop beating ourselves."