Las Vegas was good to us this year, what a change from last year. During this time last season, it was arguably the biggest disappointment in my entire racing career. I can?t ever remember going to a race in any division at any track and not qualifying for the event.

	Sauter was making a move toward the front when he got caught up in a crash.

Vegas was the only race that I didn?t make last year and the points lost there were really big in the final standings. When you miss a race, I cannot think of anything more devastating. It felt like it was the end of the world.

We went to Vegas this year with the feeling of having some unfinished business. We were on a mission to redeem ourselves. We ended up with a good, strong run and our first top-10 finish of the season. It was just what the doctor ordered.

During qualifying on Friday afternoon, we experienced some minor problems that put us back in the 29th starting position, but we knew that our brand new race car was going to be strong for the race. We were one of the fastest cars during Happy Hour. And, we had a very good preseason test there last month.

Having to come from 29th was tough, but with the car I had Saturday, I was able to work my way through traffic and consistently gain positions. Right now, we're taking 'baby steps.' We finished 25th at Daytona, 11th last week and 10th this week. That's progress every week. And, when you consider that I didn't even make this race last year, we're ahead of the game already.

We are currently in 12th position in the overall point standings, just behind my brother, Tim. It is real neat to be able to race against my brother. Not many professional athletes have the opportunity to compete against their family members every weekend. Family means a lot to us. To compete on the track and then talk about the race and share information afterwards with my brother is really very satisfying.

In 1999, I had the opportunity to race against my dad in the truck series. It was a great time; we actually raced with each other for the lead at one point.

I am looking forward to Atlanta this weekend. I really like the track, it reminds a lot of Texas, very fast. I am a big fan of those types of tracks. Last year, we had a really good car, but had some really bad breaks. I cut a tire early in the race and had to make a pit stop under green, which put me two laps down.

But, I was able to get back on the lead lap and work my way up towards the top-10. Unfortunately, I was caught up in a wreck ahead of me and it put me out of the race.

I want to continue the consistency that we have started this year. With the new tire and engine rules, this Quality Farm & Country Racing team has been able to adjust and run competitively each week. Gene Nead has made great calls in the pits and we are getting better each week.

For Atlanta this year, I just want to keep doing what we?re doing and the top finishes will come. That?s what it takes to be a contender in this series; you?ve got to be consistent each week.

Jay Sauter drives the No. 43 car in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division and will be submitting a weekly diary to ESPN.com throughout the season.