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Elliott Sadler will drive the No. 55 Toyota in the 2013 season's final four NASCAR Sprint Cup races filling in for Brian Vickers.
Michael Waltrip, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, will be driving the car at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
Vickers informed MWR on Oct. 14 that he would be unavailable for the remainder of the season due to anti-coagulation medications he will be taking to treat a small blood clot in his right leg. Doctors have told Vickers he will be on the medication at least two months.
This is the second time that Vickers has missed races due to his heart and clot situation.
The 38-year-old Sadler, who currently drives a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (where he's fifth in the standings), will begin racing the No. 55 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Oct. 27. He will finish the season for the Scott Miller led team at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.
“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,” said Sadler. “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.”
Waltrip explained how Sadler came to drive the No. 55.
“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,” said the two-time Daytona 500 champion. “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.”
Sadler has 431 Sprint Cup starts driving for the Wood Brothers, Robert Yates Racing and with Petty Motorsports with victories at Texas and Fontana in 2004, Bristol in 2001, 19 top-five and 69 top-10 finishes. His last full-time year was 2010 with Petty.
Michael Waltrip, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, will be driving the car at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
Vickers informed MWR on Oct. 14 that he would be unavailable for the remainder of the season due to anti-coagulation medications he will be taking to treat a small blood clot in his right leg. Doctors have told Vickers he will be on the medication at least two months.
This is the second time that Vickers has missed races due to his heart and clot situation.
The 38-year-old Sadler, who currently drives a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (where he's fifth in the standings), will begin racing the No. 55 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Oct. 27. He will finish the season for the Scott Miller led team at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.
“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,” said Sadler. “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.”
Waltrip explained how Sadler came to drive the No. 55.
“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,” said the two-time Daytona 500 champion. “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.”
Sadler has 431 Sprint Cup starts driving for the Wood Brothers, Robert Yates Racing and with Petty Motorsports with victories at Texas and Fontana in 2004, Bristol in 2001, 19 top-five and 69 top-10 finishes. His last full-time year was 2010 with Petty.