Brian Vickers said Sunday that he'll be on blood-thinning medication for three months after doctors discovered he had blood clots in his lungs.
This is the third time Vickers has had issues with blood clots take him out of the car. Vickers can't race as long as he's taking blood thinners.
He said he felt pain while flying to Los Angeles from a sponsor appearance in Florida. Vickers said he initially tried to convince himself he was fine, but when the pain persisted after he and his wife Sarah got to their hotel, they went to the hospital.
"Unfortunately, on the CT scan, I did have small clots," Vickers said. "It was still early stage. I did mostly listen to my own advice, which was to go to the doctor as soon as you think something is wrong. I probably could have gotten there a few hours sooner than I did, but I did get there pretty early so we caught it. I had small blood clots in both lungs. That's that. At that point I had to reach out to [Michael Waltrip Racing vice president Ty Norris] and everyone at MWR and our partners and kind of relay the news. I was going to be back on blood thinners for at least three months and then try to figure out what's next from there."
Michael Waltrip Racing announced Vickers' absence on Friday. Brett Moffitt is filling in for him in the No. 55 car and will likely be his replacement for as long as Vickers is out.
In 2013, Vickers had clots in his right leg sideline him for the remainder of the season and he was first forced to miss races in 2010 with Red Bull Racing after doctors found blood clots in his leg and lungs. He classified the pain then as a 10 on a 10-scale. The pain earlier in the week was a four or five.
Vickers also missed the first two races of the season after a procedure to install a patch in his heart. The surgery was to replace a faulty patch that was installed after a heart condition was discovered when Vickers first had clotting issues in 2010.
He received a waiver to be eligible for the Chase after missing Daytona and Atlanta, but a waiver likely won't be in the discussion during this absence. Because of the duration, Vickers' chances of being in the top 30 in points are slim to none.
Vickers was also asked if he wondered about his clots being potentially career-ending. While he said the thoughts have crossed his mind, he has every intention of coming back to race when he's able.
"That's a fair question," Vickers said. "Am I worried? Of course. Have I given up hope? No. What I know right now is that I unfortunately had to go back on blood thinners. To be clear – I have not been on blood thinners. If I were, I probably wouldn't have blood clots and wouldn't be able to race. Being off of blood thinners, working with my doctors closely to figure out how to solve the problems of the past and get off blood thinners is what has allowed me to get back in the race car ... Certainly your questions crossed my mind about a thousand times in the last 24 to 48 hours, but the funny thing is I've been told now three times that I'll never race again and I've raced the last two weeks. I'll never give up and listen, if it comes to that, then I'll move on to the next thing in life. I've always felt this way, I still feel this way today sitting here. I love racing more than any other activity. I don't love it more than my wife, who takes good care of me, or my family or my friends, but it's not who I am, it's something that I do, something that I love doing. There's more to life than just this. I think keeping that perspective is important, but it's also my favorite thing to do in the world. I want to try to come back."
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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