Brian Vickers Bio Continued
The reigning Nationwide Series Champion’s performance earned him a fulltime NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ride in the No. 25 car with Hendrick Motorsports for the 2004 season. His three-year Sprint Cup Series career with Hendrick Motorsports was highlighted by winning the Sprint Showdown, capturing a dramatic win at Talladega Superspeedway, and earning 10 top-five finishes, 23 top-10 finishes and four pole awards.
In 2007, Vickers aligned with Red Bull Racing – a new team to the sport with a new manufacturer, Toyota, on board. At the helm of the No. 83 Camry, Vickers battled his way through a traumatic debut season with Red Bull Racing to set the first-year benchmark for the new team. He earned his new team their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan in 2009 and that same year made the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the first time in his career. Only 11 races into the 2010 season, Vickers was diagnosed with blood clots which forced him out of the No. 83 car.
By 2011, Vickers had recovered from his health issues and was back in the seat of the No. 83 Toyota. The team’s performance was struggling, and Red Bull Racing announced they would be exiting the sport of NASCAR, which left Vickers on the outside looking in for the 2012 season.
Michael Waltrip Racing recognized Vickers’ talent and added him to their driver lineup for the 2012 and 2013 seasons for several Cup events. Vickers was able to stay aligned with Toyota and competed in eight Sprint Cup Series races throughout 2012. In those eight events, Vickers tallied three top-five finishes, five top-10 finishes and led 158 laps.
With three races remaining in the 2012 season, Joe Gibbs Racing and sponsor Dollar General made the announcement that Vickers would be the 2013 driver of their No. 20 Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Vickers was given the opportunity to drive the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota at Phoenix International Raceway. Finishing second and challenging teammate Joey Logano for the win, Vickers proved he was the man for the job in only his first start with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Exactly 10 years after Vickers’ 2003 championship, he’s now back in Nationwide Series Championship contention with crew chief Kevin Kidd and Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Dollar General team.
Vickers currently resides in Miami, Fla. Away from the track, he stays active mountain biking, scuba diving, golfing and skydiving. He’s an avid traveler and relaxes by reading and spending time with friends and family.
