CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Photo courtesy MWR —
If you ask Brian Vickers, he probably could go racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway the week following the Daytona 500.
But, he’s willing to wait an extra week before resuming his fulltime driving duties at Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR).
MWR announced on Tuesday during the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Media Tour that development driver Brett Moffitt will fill in for Vickers during the Atlanta race weekend Feb. 27-Mar. 1, allowing Vickers the maximum amount of time to recuperate after open-heart surgery to replace a failing patch for a hole in the Thomasville, North Carolina driver’s heart diagnosed in 2010.
“Brian’s desire to be in the Sprint Cup series motivates our whole team,” team owner Michael Waltrip said on Tuesday morning. “We’re ready to have him back, but we want him to be fully ready and we know Brett will do a great job for us. He’s always consistently steady and fast and we can’t wait to have him race at Atlanta in the Aaron’s Dream Machine.”
Waltrip will fill in behind the wheel of the No. 55 at the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 22.
Vickers, who joked that the doctors replaced his heart “with a lion’s heart”, is eagerly anticipating returning to the race car but knows he can’t afford to take a chance given the circumstances.
“Could I go back at Daytona? Maybe. But going back racing at Vegas is on the conservative end,” Vickers emphasized. “There was a lot of uncertainty and I wondered if I’d ever go racing again, I’m blessed I got past that. I always knew if I could get better and the doctors were okay with it, then I’d be back racing at MWR.”
“I’m still kicking, I’m still walking and I feel great,” Vickers added. “But until I hit turn one at Las Vegas at 200 miles per hour, I won’t truly know how ready I am.”
Vickers has been given a medical exemption by NASCAR, meaning he will still be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup should he win a race in the 24 regular-season events he will be able to compete in before the Chase cutoff at Richmond in September.
Moffitt, a nine-time K&N Pro Series East winner, has prior Cup experience through an eight-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series partnership with Jay Robinson Racing/MWR in 2014. The young gun says he is ready for the opportunity but also ready to see Vickers resume his rightful seat behind the wheel of the No. 55 Toyota.
“Aarons was great to me and gave me the opportunity to race at Atlanta,” Moffitt said. “I hate that Brian has to miss the first two races of the season, but everyone is glad he is coming back at Las Vegas. My goal is to work closely with (Crew Chief) Billy Scott and the guys and get the most out of the Aaron’s Dream Machine that I can.
“This is the best car I will have ever driven and I know my role is to leave Atlanta with a result that will make MWR, Aaron’s and the 55 team happy they showed faith in me. I’m ready to go have some fun at Atlanta, and we’ll just see what happens.”
Crew chief Billy Scott emphasized on Tuesday that Moffitt was the obvious pick by the No. 55 team to fill the seat.
“Brett was the first guy we thought of when we knew we needed a driver for Atlanta. He’s been part of MWR for several years. We’ve worked with him at tests and in the shop. The only thing missing from Brett’s career is an opportunity and I think Atlanta will be a track where he shows everyone how much talent he has.”
Michael Waltrip Racing contributed to this report.
