Earlier this year, Honda's Nicky Hayden was off the podium in AMA Superbike and admittedly struggling a bit. In a couple of races, "The Kid" even found himself in the gravel trap after tossing it away trying to make up for lost ground. Toss in a couple of races in which he had brake problems and it almost looked to be a throw away year for Hayden.

But as quickly as it when bad, Hayden's season righted itself. After winning at Mid-Ohio, Hayden followed that victory up with a win at Brainerd and then at Colorado. Hayden became the first man to win three in a row in AMA Superbike since Anthony Gobert did it in 1999.

So what's the difference between back in the pack and life at the front? "Not much, Hayden said this morning at VIR. "It's only a little bit. A couple of tenths. But in roadracing, a couple of tenths will move you up one row or back one."

One factor helping Hayden and Honda was the fact that the team tested twice at VIR earlier this summer. "The bike is definitely better now," he says. He credits his team with much of the progress.

Has Hayden done much differently when he's on the machine? "That's what everyone keeps asking me, and I really haven't done much different. I went back to riding and covering the basics. I really haven't done a whole lot different. If anything, I chilled out more, and tried to do my own thing and not worried about anyone else. Even at times relaxing more, because maybe for a couple of races I was trying too hard."

Nicky feels he still has some progress to make to really rip this weekend at VIR. "Even though we tested twice here, I'm still missing my marks a little and need to improve. I do like the circuit, though."

Hayden says he likes the pit stop, and thinks the AMA should take it a bit further and have a LeMans start for this endurance-type race. "I want to do the one where you have to run across the pits and get on your bike."