Red Bull Racing Team officials announced today that due to a recent diagnosis of a medical condition, Brian Vickers will not compete in this weekend's NASCAR racing activities at Dover International Speedway.
Vickers, age 26, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, was hospitalized Wednesday evening after complaining of chest pains, and continues to undergo testing and further evaluation. Doctors discovered several blood clots in the veins in his leg which, if they break free and reach the lungs, cause pain and make breathing difficult.
He is currently being treated with blood thinners at a hospital in Washington, D.C, while medics investigate the cause of the condition. Casey Mears has been selected to drive for the team this weekend.
"It is unfortunate that I will not be able to participate in the Dover race,” says Vickers. “Casey is a good friend of mine, and I know he will do his best for the No. 83 team this weekend."
"Our main concern right now is with Brian and his health and recovery", said Jay Frye, RBRT General Manager and Vice President. "All things are looking good at the moment; this is just a minor setback. He feels fine, but he knows there's a problem and he knows he has to address the problem. We appreciate Casey filling in this weekend and know he will represent the team well."
Getty Images for Red Bull
Scott Speed will still be piloting the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota in Dover, which is where NASCAR met the "real" Scott Speed (remember the whole blue-toenail-polish thing?).
That day, in May 2008, Speed won a Camping World Truck Series race in impressive fashion, dominating the final 51 laps against the likes of veterans Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday Jr.
A year later, he rounded out racing at Dover in NASCAR's two other national divisions. He finished seventh and eighth in two Nationwide Series races, with two top-five starts.
Those performances never translated to the Sprint Cup events, however, as a broken valve spring ruined one afternoon only a quarter of the way through. He finished 25th in the fall.
"Dover has a lot of grip and ranks among my favorite tracks on the schedule,” says Speed. “It's where I got my first truck win, so it's always cool to return there. I seem to have more success on concrete tracks, so maybe I like those better than asphalt."
Speed's lone NASCAR victory is an impressive feat considering it was only his sixth NASCAR start and came at one of the sport's most demanding tracks.
Speed currently sits 26th in points, 67 out of 20th.
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