Vickers out for rest of 2010 season

Brian Vickers said he will be out of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota for the rest of the 2010 Sprint Cup season as he undergoes treatment for blood clots.

During a press conference Friday, Vickers said he will be on blood thinners for at least six months and his doctors have advised him not to race during that time.

"This sucks, because this is what I love to do," Vickers, 26, said. "I fully intend to be able to do it again.

"I do expect to be back in the car next season and to win the Daytona 500,'' he said.

Vickers was admitted to a Washington, D.C.-area hospital May 12 after complaining of chest pains. He was diagnosed with blood clots in both lungs and his left leg. Vickers was released May 14 and returned to North Carolina. But he experienced more chest pains and was re-admitted to a nearby hospital May 15, where he stayed until Sunday. It was decided shortly afterward that Vickers would not race for the remainder of the season.

“It is not advisable for him to race while on blood thinners,” said Dr. Steven A. Limentani, Vickers' doctor. Vickers and Limentani said racing would be risky in case Vickers was injured in a crash.

Vickers and Limentani did not know what caused the blood clots. Limentani said tests are ongoing, but it may take weeks to determine a cause, if ever.

The two were observed sitting with cans of Red Bull during the press conference. Limentani was asked if energy drinks like Red Bull could have caused the clotting, as a report from Australia has suggested. The doctor denied that the product could have contributed to the condition.

Vickers sat out last weekend's Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Raceway after being diagnosed with blood clots. Casey Mears took Vickers' place in the No. 83 car and was approved by NASCAR to race for Vickers in the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night.

Jay Frye, Red Bull Racing Team vice president and general manager, said it hasn't been decided if Mears will replace Vickers for the rest of the season, but that he didn't anticipate a driver change, except possibly for the road course races.

PHOTO: Brian Vickers announces that he will miss the remainder of the 2010 season due to a recently discovered health condition. (Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR)

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The Lugnut Report: Scott Speed Gets Career Best in Dover

Despite winning his first and only Camping World Truck Series race at the Dover International Speedway, the "Monster Mile" is described by Scott Speed as "a thorn in his side."

Just before Dover, though, it was announced by Red Bull Racing that Speed's teammate, Brian Vickers, would be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time due to serious blood clots. Attention now turns to the sophomore Speed to lead RBR.

"I'll never be mature, that's just ridiculous, but certainly as a team we are growing together."

Speed struggled with his No. 82 all weekend and started the Austim 400 29th. His ill handling car had no side bite, something he struggled with most of the race.

Speed's car also took "a while to get going", but he ultimately fell four laps behind the leader and came home 23rd. It's a Cup career best for the California native at Dover.

After the event, Speed said on his Twitter page that it was a reasonable finish for his team and called it an "OK day." He also sent congrats to good friend and Dover winner Kyle Busch.

The finish kept Speed 26th in Series points. Twelve races into the season, the former F1 driver is 249 points behind 12th place Martin Truex, Jr.

After All Star festivities, Speed and the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will remain at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. In his two career starts at the track, Speed has a best finish of 18th.

Thanks to Racing Reference, NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com, Red Bull Racing, and the Club Speed Twitter page(@ClubSpeed) for the quotes, information, and statistics used in this piece.

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Vickers has blood clots

Red Bull Racing announced on Thursday that Brian Vickers was in the hospital and would not race at Dover in the Autism Speaks 400 on Sunday. At the time, the team would not disclose the medical condition Vickers was suffering from. Red Bull Racing Vice President and General Manager Jay Frye announced on Friday morning that the medical condition is blood clots in the lungs and legs.

While preparing to meet Congressman Doc Hastings at Walter Reed Medical Center on Wednesday, Vickers experienced discomfort in his chest and went to a nearby D.C.-area emergency room to be checked out. A CT scan showed several blood clots in several of his blood veins. Vickers is now taking medication to dissolve the clots. Otherwise, he has been given a clean bill of health. Doctors are still unsure what caused the clots.

To read the rest of this article, visit Cup Series News & Notes.

Photo of Brian Vickers courtesy of NASCAR Media.

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Mears to fill in for Vickers at Dover

Red Bull Racing announced on Thursday that Casey Mears will be behind the wheel of the team's No. 83 Sprint Cup Series car this weekend at Dover Inernational Speedway in place of the car's regular driver, Brian Vickers.

"It is unfortunate that I will not be able to participate in the Dover race," Vickers said. "Casey is a good friend of mine, and I know he will do his best for the No. 83 team this weekend."

Vickers will not compete in Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 because of a recent medical diagnosis. Specifics have not yet been released. Vickers was hospitalized Wednesday evening and continues to undergo testing and evaluation.

To read the rest of this article, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of Casey Mears courtesy of NASCAR Media.

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TwoCents and Five Questions with Brian Vickers

Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series and the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota in the Nationwide Series, has been racing since he was 8 and made his NASCAR Nationwide (then Busch) Series debut in 2001. In 2003, he landed a Busch series ride with Hendrick Motorsports and eventually moved up to their Cup program, driving their No. 25 car and finishing the car in the best points position in a decade. He was definitely making a name for himself and in 2007, headed over to newly-formed Red Bull Racing. It was a tough start, but in 2009, Vickers found his pace, getting his first win and making the Chase for the Sprint Cup (he ended 12th in points – last place). But the future looks bright.

When he's not driving at nearly 200 mph every weekend, he is participating in Red Bull adventures like skydiving and scuba diving and enjoys going to live sporting events. And now, I suppose, you can add acting to that list, after his guest spot on the TBS series My Boys. Vickers was nice enough to speak with TheTwoCents about his role on the show, what sports he enjoys, things he likes about Chicago and more.

Read the entire article at thetwocents.com.

This post also appears on thetwocents.com and has been republished with permission from the author.

Photo courtesy of nascarmedia.com.

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Racing and Racers on Television: What are Your Favorite Memories?

As racing fans, we always sit and watch when our favorite NASCAR drivers and personalities are on television.

Long before Jimmie Johnson's 24/7 Race to Daytona special, there have been a slew of appearances by drivers, owners and more on all kinds of shows besides race day specials.

Right now, as I write this, I'm watching a super old episode of One Tree Hill. It's from May 2005, when Nathan and Lucas visit Nathan's uncle Cooper, a race car driver who takes them to the track he's racing at. Since they're supposed to be in South Carolina and filmed in NC, I'm going to assume they filmed at Rockingham? I know it's not Charlotte. Either way, when it first aired, despite not being a fan of the show, I remember watching it. Nathan and Lucas drive against Cooper and Cooper's crew chief's daughter, aptly named Daytona (Toni for short). They have a private race on the track, but a depressed Nathan decides to set the track record while having visions of his broken marriage and crashes into the wall at over 200 mph. Without safety crews nearby (which is the only unrealistic aspect of this entire thing), the guys pull Nathan from the car.

The best part of it all was Jeff Burton, in one of his many acting appearances. That man really loves to act! Last year he made a guest appearance on my favorite daytime soap opera, General Hospital. In return, one of the actors who is a fan got to visit Jeff at Auto Club Speedway and do a ride along. Since then, NASCAR is mentioned constantly on the show. Two characters even had a Daytona 500 viewing party earlier this year, debating if Denny Hamlin could take down Jimmie Johnson in the Great American Race. Obviously, they were both wrong.

Michael Waltrip has visited My Name is Earl, Jamie McMurray was on Passions and the new trend is drivers heading over to the wrestling ring on Monday nights. So far, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Carl Edwards have done burnouts before heading in to begin the wrestling match. And we must not forget Danica Patrick and her guest spot on CSI: NY. Next up is one of my favorite drivers heading to one of my favorite shows: Brian Vickers will be guest-starring on My Boys. Yes, NASCAR meets baseball!

I'm not even including the dozens of commercials we love to watch over and over (like the most recent fan favorite Coca-Cola commercial with the drivers singing) or movie appearances (Richard Petty in Swing Vote anyone?). Also not to be forgotten was NASCAR Week on Smarter Than a 5th Grader.

So tell me … movie, commercial, television shows … what is your favorite non-racing television moment with your favorite NASCAR driver/personality?


The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect those of this site or its other contributors.

Photo courtesy of nascarmedia.com

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