Just over two months removed from heart surgery to fix a hole in his heart, Brian Vickers is optimistic about returning to the track this weekend in Las Vegas.
"I kind of look at it like a win-win, if we go out there and do well that is great and if we don’t just being able to get back in a race car is incredible," Vickers told reporters Friday. "No matter the outcome I am happy to be here."
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After several tests showed that his body was rejecting an artificial patch surgically attached in 2010, doctors performed corrective surgery to repair the hole with a new patch.
No stranger to medical issues, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver missed two-thirds of the 2010 season because of blood clots in his legs and lungs that were discovered in May 2010. He had heart surgery in July 2010 in hopes of keeping blood clots from forming. He returned in 2011 and was healthy until missing the last five weeks of the 2013 season because of a blood clot in his right calf.
“My love for racing has only increased, but I’ve also learned it’s not who I am,” he said. “It’s something I do. It’s a part of who I am and means the world to me. But it’s not who I am. If I can’t race, life’s going to go on. I asked, ‘Can I race?’ but if (doctors) say no, I’m not going to fight them if they don’t think it’s safe.”
Vickers finished practice Friday ranked 33rd on the speed chart with an average speed of 186.987 mph in his No. 55 Toyota. He qualified 28th for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400, failing t get out of the first round.
"We had a really good lap going into the corner," Vickers told FoxSports after his qualifying run. "I don't know if I just asked too much of it through three and four. It kind of took off and I had to lift late.
"Once you are that far out of the corner on the straightaway, you're in trouble. Other than that, the Aaron's machine was great and I think we've got a lot to look forward to (Saturday). It'll be a long race."
The 12-year Sprint Cup veteran will be making his 317th career start when the green flag drops for the Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday.