Brian Vickers Out For The Season With New Blood Clot
Brian Vickers is out for the season due to a blood clot in his right calf. The news was quite disappointing for the Michael Waltrip Racing driver, who missed 25 races of the 2010 season for blood clots.
The clot was discovered on Monday when Vickers went in for a routine exam.The NASCAR driver was immediately put on a blood thinning medication to dissolve it.
ESPN reports Vickers issued a statement explaining that his doctors are confident he will be able to resume driving activities before the 2014 season. Despite the sad news for Vickers, he remained positive, saying:
“If there’s anything to be positive about with today’s news it’s that this is only a temporary setback. The timing for this is never good, but I’m glad we’ll get it out of the way and be ready to run for a championship with the Aaron’s Dream Machine in 2014.”
Fox Sports notes that Brian Vickers was named the driver for the Aaron’s Dream Machine for 2014 and was expected to take part in a test at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday. While he is expected to return to the team next year, he was replaced by Brian Moffitt for Monday’s test.
Vickers’ crew chief, Scott Miller, commented that the driver’s absence “is unfortunate for us all.” Miller added, “The whole MWR team and Brian have a good relationship. We were all looking forward to finishing the year, building on that and leading into next year.”
Unfortunately, Vickers’ new blood clot will keep the team from finishing together. Instead, Michael Waltrip will step into the driver’s seat for this weekend’s race at Talladega. The team hasn’t announced who will fill Vickers’ spot for the last four races.
The driver has also been racing for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series this year. The team hasn’t announced an immediate replacement yet. Brian Vickers is eighth in the standings and hasn’t won this season in the Nationwide Series, though he won at New Hampshire earlier this year in the Cup.
[Image via Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com]
