Elliott Sadler will be the substitute for Brian Vickers in the No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota for the final four races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
Michael Waltrip Racing announced on Monday that Vickers would be sidelined for the remainder of the season because of a blood clot in his right leg. Doctors have told Vickers he will be on the medication at least two months. Vickers was named the driver of the No. 55 ride for 2014 in August.
“First, I am already a teammate of Brian’s at Joe Gibbs Racing and it is really tough to see him going through this again,” Sadler said. “Both of us have fought hard to get back in a position to win at NASCAR’s highest level. I am honored to have this opportunity to drive for MWR because I know their cars are competitive. I want to thank Rob Kauffman, Michael and Aaron’s for giving me this chance. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers will be for Brian to have a quick recovery.”
Sadler currently competes full time in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and is fifth in the points standings. The 38-year-old native of Emporia, Va., ran in the Sprint Cup Series for 12 consecutive seasons and posted wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway.
“Elliott has all the attributes we were looking for. He’s experienced, familiar with Toyota, has a great attitude plus he’s a heck of a driver,” Waltrip said. “We’ll pair him with Scott Miller and the No. 55 guys and I know they’ll have the Aaron’s Dream Machine at the front of the field. I also want to thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota for letting us borrow Elliott for a few races.”
Michael Waltrip is scheduled to drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
