Brian Vickers

Dont know how many of you follow Brian Vickers but since 2010 he has been on a roller coaster trip with his heart condition. He first went in the hospital due to blood clots and then again for a repair in his heart. All was supposed to be well but now his body is rejecting the patch and more blood issues are apparent. All these issues are from racing accidents like in Talladega and when he broke his ankle and wore a boot which restricted blood flow along with all the plane rides (thats a new one on me).

So now he is out for an unknown period of time getting his body and heart in sync.

His stand in isnt mentioned but MWR needs a real good replacement either temporary or permanent.

Any guesses on who it might be?

I wish it was Regan Smith. That guy deserves another shot at Cup. Besides that, until Darrell Wallace signed with Roush to run the Xfinity Series,he was Toyota's number one driver in their farm system. I suspect Michael will drive the car in the 500, and they'll find someone else to fill in until Vickers comes back. I think an interesting driver for that car could be David Ragan...IF he's willing to leave his Ford ties.

Johnny, the sitting in an airplane seat for extended periods of time have always been known to restrict blood flow, esp. at high altitudes. sure hope he fully recovers and comes back to drive.

Johnny, I developed a blood clot in my left leg in 2010 also. My doctor wanted to know if I been "sitting around", cars, planes, etc., too. I stand all day, every day. Sometimes, there's no classic reason to explain a clot. There sure wasn't one in my case. Hope Brian gets better, but it can be a slow process. Mine has.

This is not the first time Brian has had this issue (blood clot last time out too when he had to sit out for a long period, if I'm not mistaken) and now that this is a recurrence, his sponsor might be having second thoughts. He hasn't run all that good either. Not as good as we all thought he would after that fairy tale Loudon win in 2013 after fighting his first battle with the clots. To be fair, neither has Bowyer. Anyway, hope he is able to come back stronger.

Waltrip probably for Daytona but after that, I'd like to see some young up-n-comer get a shot but can't think of any Toyota development drivers at the moment that might get the nod.