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| Brian Vickers goes road racing for MWR |
“Brian
did such an amazing job at Bristol that we wanted to reward him with more
races,” said co-owner Michael Waltrip, who will drive the No. 55 in four races
this season. “It has as much to do with how he interacted with (crew chief)
Rodney Childers and the crew as what he did on the race track. They really
enjoyed his input and his professional approach, and he was a great teammate to
Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer. Those guys were really impressed with how he
engaged with them and managed his race car. Brian is a great young driver who
is hungry to show what he can do. In my mind, he earned these extra races with
his approach and attitude, and I’m so happy we were able to offer them. Brian’s
contribution to the team has continued the momentum Rodney and Mark Martin
created pushing the No. 55 up to eighth in owner points.”
“I
purposely waited for an opportunity that would allow me to be competitive and
this is what I have found with Michael Waltrip Racing,” said Vickers, who
earned Toyota Racing Development its first Chase for the Sprint Cup berth in
2009.
“I
could see all of the progress MWR has made from the outside, and when I was
able to get to experience it first hand at Bristol, I was so impressed. It’s
hard to explain, but each one of these team members and each one of the drivers
truly cares about the other. There is a team atmosphere here and they welcomed
me with open arms. That cooperation is how we were able to put three cars in
the top five at Bristol. People don’t think of me as a road racer, but I love
road racing and am so happy I will get a chance to compete at Infineon and
Watkins Glen.”
Mark
Martin will drive the No. 55 Toyota in 24 races, and the NASCAR Sprint All Star
race.
Vickers,
28, owns two victories and 11 poles. The Thomasville, N.C. native competed full
time in the Sprint Cup Series for eight years, and in 2011, he scored three
top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He began his Sprint Cup career in 2003
driving for Hendrick Motorsports, before moving to Red Bull Racing in 2007.
Vickers has raced only Toyotas since the manufacturer entered Sprint Cup
competition in 2007.
Photo Credit: Jared Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
People (sponsors) are not going to forget about the dislay (tantrum) he put on last year in the chase. That will follow him for quite a while. It's hard to build a good reputation. It's incredibly difficult to rebuild it.
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