Brian Vickers, 20, is one of the most talented young drivers in NASCAR. As a rookie in the Busch Series this season, he's demonstrated that he has all the tools necessary to succeed in stock car racing. Vickers and teammate Kyle Busch, 18, will form one of the sport's most formidable young tandems next season in the Busch Series.
It's amazing how quickly things can change. Less than 18 months ago, I had just completed my senior year at Trinity High School near my hometown of Thomasville, North Carolina, while racing a partial schedule in the Busch Series with a team owned by my family.
Fast-forward in time and I'm driving the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevy in the Busch Series for one of the premier organizations in all of racing-Hendrick Motorsports. I've said it a million times so far this season, but it's true-I've been given the opportunity of a lifetime by Ricky Hendrick and his father, Mr. Rick Hendrick.
I felt very fortunate to be able to put my Hendrick Motorsports Chevy into Victory Lane at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August. That was my first Busch win and it was awesome.
My love of racing developed early. I started racing go-carts when I was 10 and continued to work my way up through the ranks of the Allison Legacy Car Series, Late Models, and the Hooter's ProCup Series, before making my first Busch Series start when I was 17 years old at The Milwaukee Mile in 2001.
Every race has been a learning experience for me, and I do the best job I can to absorb as much information as possible from the other racers and from people around me. I'm a fan of every form of racing, from Formula 1 to motorcycles. It all amazes me and I try to study everything about the sport.
It wasn't until I grew older that I really began giving any consideration to a career in racing. My parents have always been there for me and I appreciate everything they've done. As a family, we spent much of our time at the races and I missed out on a lot of things growing up. Looking back, I don't regret any of it because I love what I'm doing now. In order to be successful, sacrifices have to be made, and I was well aware of that growing up. I even skipped my high school prom last year just so I could race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
When the season started, there were a lot of things for us to try to adapt to. I was working with a new team and a new crew chief while running my first full season in Busch, which included several tracks that I had never visited. We finished 8th at Rockingham in the second race of the season, 7th at Darlington in the fourth race, and 25th at Texas after nearly winning. For us to start out the season that way just goes to show the caliber of the Hendrick organization.