Brian Vickers will miss minimum of 3 months, racing future uncertain

A reoccurrence of blood clots will keep Brian Vickers on the sideline for at least three months and there is no guarantee he will return.

“Am I worried? Of course,” Vickers said. “Have I given up hope? No.”

Because he is on blood-thinning medication for the next three months, Vickers is not medically cleared to race due to the possibility of excessive bleeding were he to suffer a cut in an accident. If doctors determine he needs to be on the medication longer, Vickers may not be permitted to come back at all.

“I’ll try to figure out what makes sense with my doctors if I can come back off of (the blood thinners) to go racing,” Vickers said. “If there’s some kind of plan that works and if not, then that’s that. We’re so far away from crossing that bridge at this point, I can’t really say. ... I want to try to come back.”

Vickers began experiencing symptoms while traveling Thursday. After landing in Los Angeles, he contemplated not going to the hospital for fear of not being permitted to race Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. But following a conversation with his wife, Vickers went to UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica where tests revealed clotting in his lungs.

This is the fourth time the 31-year-old has had to sit for issues related to blood clots. He also missed starts in 2010, 2013 and the first two races of this season after undergoing heart surgery in December to correct a patch inserted in 2010 to help prevent clotting.

“I went to the hotel to check in because I was still trying to convince myself that it was something else,” Vickers said. “I sat there for a few minutes kind of pacing the room with (my wife) Sarah trying to figure out if I could turn my chest pain into something that it wasn’t.

“She was very sweet and encouraging. She was like, ‘Well, you don’t know that yet -- let’s just get it checked out.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I know.’”

Michael Waltrip Racing named Brett Moffitt to drive Vickers No. 55 car Sunday. Moffitt also filled in for Vickers at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing a career-best eighth. MWR has not announced its long-term plans.

Ironically, March is Blood Clot Awareness Month and Vickers is heavily involved in a marketing campaign for Janssen Pharmecuticals drug Xarelto. Janssen is sponsoring Vickers No. 55 this weekend at ACS. Television commercials featuring Vickers, golf legend Arnold Palmer and comedian Kevin Nealon are airing in heavy rotation.

“I don’t know what’s next,” Vickers said. “I know I will be on blood thinners for the next three months and then after that I’m going to do whatever I can to get back in a race car, but what’s next is next and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”