‘I was Red Bull’s first NASCAR star but had to – Sports News
Brian Vickers was the first Red Bull driver in NASCAR earlier than the power drink model returned to the game to sponsor Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch as half of a partnership with Trackhouse Racing this season.
Vickers, 41, raced for Team Red Bull within the Cup Series between 2007 and 2011, but in his second to final 12 months, he acquired early health warning indicators.
In May 2010, Vickers wouldn’t take part within the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway due to an undisclosed medical situation, which was later revealed to be blood clots in his legs and round his lungs. Vickers was not cleared to race again till the next season, which occurred to be Team Red Bull’s final because it ceased its operations in NASCAR.
Vickers would solely go on to race one more full-time Cup Series season in 2014, as his deep vein thrombosis plagued the rest of his NASCAR profession. He retired in 2016 in his early 30s with three wins to his title. Despite retiring, Vickers remained hopeful that he would race in NASCAR again and all the time saved his telephone close by in case it rang.
“My health is good,” he instructed NBC in 2017. “I found a way to race safely and not have to worry about blood clots. Nothing has really changed from that end.”
“I’ve got my NASCAR gold Cup license, have done all my medical and drug tests and everything I’ve had to do to get your license, impact tests, head tests, medical clearance, you name it,” Vickers added. “I could come back and race next weekend if someone wants.”
However, Vickers additionally understood that it might be exhausting for a group proprietor to take the prospect on him due to sponsorship. “I get it, for a car owner or sponsor it’s a hard sell, they’re worried that I’ll have another health issue like in the past,” Vickers stated.
“I feel I proved last year in the 14 car that that’s not a concern, I’m clear, I can race safely without blood clots. My doctor worked really, really hard to find a perfect regimen to keep me safe from clots and has allowed me to race. That hasn’t changed.”
He additionally said that he is comfy with the fact that he might not get one other shot in NASCAR. To date, he hasn’t.
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“I’m principally saying to myself that I’m comfy with the very fact I’ll by no means race again,” Vickers stated. “It’s not a question of desire, want or health, it’s just a matter of finding the right situation.
“To have 15 years of experience and I’m only 33, I’ve learned and grown a lot as a person and learned more than you can ever learn going through the trials and tribulations I have.
“I had to overcome adversity and all these attributes going through the near-death experience that I had. There’s no question in my mind that I’m the best driver today than I’ve ever been in my entire career, even though I’ve been out of the car for a year.”
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