Vickers win was a NASCAR ‘feel good’ story

Brian Vickers

It was a highly charged emotional scene, in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway when driver Brian Vickers parked his Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota in victory lane after winning the Camping World RV Sales 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Vickers took the lead late in the event, on lap 287, and scored his first win of the season and third career Cup win. He also snapped a 75 race winless streak in the process. The winning edge came from his crew chief Rodney Childers who called his driver to pit road for a fuel only stop on lap 211. Vickers had to endure a green-white-checker finish to get to victory lane and finished 0.582 seconds ahead of runner Kyle Busch.

Vicker's return to victory lane was super charged with an emotional story that dates back to the 2010 season. At the time he was driving a Toyota for Red Bull Racing. 11 races into the season he was hospitalized with a medical situation that was regarded to be life threatening. Doctors discovered blood clots in Vickers' Lungs, leg and a finger leaving him to wonder if he had any form of future to look forward to at all.

Following a full recovery, Vickers returned to his Red Bull ride, in 2011, only to learn that the famed company was less than thrilled with their NASCAR racing experiment. Red Bull announced their decision to cut the losses and shut down the operation leaving Vickers in a position of looking for a new ride.

Enter Michael Waltrip Racing. At the beginning of the 2012 season, Vickers found himself in a unique position of sharing the driving duties, in the #55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota, with colleagues Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip. During an eight race stint that year he turned in three top five finishes and led 158 laps.

He began this season with nine Cup races for Waltrip and a full time NASCAR Nationwide Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing. Vickers has more than proven that he's capable of delivering the results for both racing organizations.

Now the red hot Cup garage rumors are saying that Vickers will be the primary driver of MWR's #55 beginning with the 2014 season and it's only a very short amount of time before the contract is signed and the official announcement is made.

It's been a long two years for Brian Vickers as he climbed his way back to a position of prominence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is a testament to what can get accomplished as long as you believe in yourself and never give up on your dreams.