Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull sponsored Toyota, will miss the remainder of the 2010 Sprint Cup season as he recovers from blood clots found in his chest and legs a few weeks ago. In the week leading up to the Cup race at Dover, Delaware Vickers was at an apperance in Washington DC when he complained about not feeling so good, and was taken to the hospital where the blood clots were discovered. Free Agent driver Casey Mears filled in for Vickers at Dover, and will do so again this week at the NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star race. Further plans for the #83 team have yet to be prepared.
The reason Brian cannot get back in the car is the treatment for the blood clots. Brian is taking a medicine that thins the blood, and no doctor is willing to give him clearance to race given the fact that a wreck could cause massive bleeding, and with his blood thinned he could bleed out in seconds.
This is a big blow for a team and an organization that have come a long way over the last three years. Brian won the August Race at Michigan International Speedway in 2009, and his team qualified for the Chase to the Cup, NASCAR’s playoff system. Losing him for the rest of 2010 hurts, but the brotherhood that is auto racing hopes that Vickers can recover and return to the track in 2011.
It seems likely that the team will be turned over to Mears on a long term basis, with the organization looking to bring in a rood course specialist for the two upcoming summer road course races. Other than that the future plans for the #83 team are not known.
