Vickers

I guess it's like they say "time flies when you're having fun."

Talk about fun. I was fortunate to be able to travel to Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few weeks ago to witness Jeff Gordon and Juan Montoya swap rides for an afternoon.

Watching Jeff and Juan was probably the most fun I've ever had outside of a race car. Besides just being an awesome event, I think what went on at Indy did a lot to eliminate some of the stereotypes that exist between Formula One and NASCAR. Both drivers showed why they are two of the best in the world.

They weren't the only ones that turned some laps at Indy, though. For the first time in my life, I drove a Winston Cup car as I helped shake the car down before Jeff got into it on the IMS road course. The whole deal was just a blast. I had a grin on my face for what seemed like four days after I left.

From Indianapolis to the Busch Series -- I can't believe the halfway point of the 2003 season is already here. It seems like such a short time ago that I was in Daytona testing with my Hendrick Motorsports team for the first time in preparation for the season opener and my first full season in the Busch Series.

Sure, we had goals and expectations for this year, but I don't really think any of us on the GMAC team knew the results would have come as quickly as they have. Don't get me wrong, our team is fully capable of producing the kind of finishes we have -- maybe just not so soon.

After all, when the season started there were a lot of things for us to try and adapt to. I was working with a new team, a new crew chief and running my first full season, which meant there were several tracks on the circuit that I had never been to before.

These days you hear so much about team chemistry and its importance. Hendrick Motorsports must have a special recipe for that because it took such a short period of time for us to jell as a team and start producing.

Now, here we are heading to Milwaukee with some momentum. In our last six races we've only finished out of the top-10 once and that was a 14th-place finish at Charlotte -- so I can't complain, but the funny thing is, we've achieved some of those results despite having bad luck at Dover, Nashville and Kentucky.

It says a lot about our team that no one ever gives up. You can't run 34 races in a season and not experience problems. It's the good teams that can make the best out of bad situations, and that's what we've been able to do. That's the sign of a strong team.

Our goal at the beginning of the year wasn't to be "gung-ho" about the points chase. We wanted to be consistent and complete every lap of every race. We believed that if we accomplished that, the finishes would come, and hopefully the wins, too. That's still our focus and we're still trying just as hard to get that first win.

Maybe that win will come this week in Milwaukee or the following week on July 4 in Daytona. Both tracks have provided some memorable races for me -- one more than the other.

I made my first career Busch Series start at "The Mile" in 2001 when I was 17 years old. The race itself wasn't exactly how I pictured my first career start unfolding. I qualified 30th and finished 37th after being taken out early in the race. Regardless of the finish, it was a special day for me at Milwaukee.

Daytona, on the other hand, was a mixed bag for the GMAC team and myself. I had never raced there until February, but with each passing day, the No. 5 GMAC Chevy kept getting better and better until we finished as the fastest car in the final practice session before this year's season opener.

I remember being optimistic heading into the race and really hoped to have a good showing in my first event for Hendrick Motorsports. Unfortunately, the result was similar to my first start at Milwaukee.

Our day ended early after being involved in an accident on Lap 30. We left Daytona 42nd in points -- and now look where we are (sixth in points). Let's just hope this elevator keeps going up.

Bye for now.

Brian Vickers drives the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch Series. He is providing a monthly diary to ESPN.com throughout the 2003 NASCAR season. Vickers' personal Web site can be found at www.brianvickers.com or go to www.hendrickmotorsports.com for team information