Brian Vickers gets full-time NASCAR Cup drive with Michael Waltrip
Brian Vickers has secured a full-time Michael Waltrip Racing seat for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Vickers has driven partial campaigns for MWR since former employer Red Bull closed its NASCAR programme at the end of 2011.
This year he is sharing the #55 seat with Michael Waltrip and Mark Martin, and won the New Hampshire Motor Speedway race last month.
The team confirmed on Tuesday that it had completed a deal for Vickers to join Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr as a full-time MWR driver from next season.
"Knowing that I have a top-notch team and a dedicated sponsor for a full season is a really great feeling every driver dreams about, and like everyone else, I want to win races and win a championship," said Vickers.
"Michael and co-owner Rob Kauffman are really building something special at MWR and are giving me the tools to accomplish those goals."
BRIAN VICKERS CV
Age: 29
Nationality: American
Sprint Cup stats
Starts: 272
Wins: 3
Poles: 11
Nationwide stats
Starts: 139
Titles: 1
Wins: 3
Poles: 4
Milestones:
2001: Makes Nationwide (then Busch) debut with family team
2003: Becomes youngest Busch Series champion, aged 20, driving for Hendrick; team gives him five Cup races
2006: Wins Talladega Cup race
2007: Moves to Red Bull's NASCAR team
2009: Wins Michigan Cup race
2010: Curtails season in May due to blood clots
2011: Red Bull closes team at end of year
2012: Begins part-time MWR career, and also races AF-Waltrip's GT Ferrari at Le Mans and the Spa World Endurance Championship round
Austin Dillon to stand in for Tony Stewart in Michigan NASCAR race
Montoya set to lose Earnhardt Ganassi NASCAR seat after 2013
IndyCar racer Daly to make NASCAR Cup debut at Charlotte Roval
IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly, who has made a handful of starts in NASCAR, will make his Cup Series debut next weekend at the Charlotte Roval.
Byron drops into playoff elimination zone in NASCAR conduct violation
William Byron has been docked points for a code of conduct violation in the Texas NASCAR Cup round, moving him into the elimination zone of the playoffs.
NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson retires from full-time racing
Seven-time NASCAR champion and IndyCar sophomore Jimmie Johnson has announced he is to step down from full-time racing in 2023.
NASCAR Cup Texas: Reddick wins race plagued by tyre failures
Tyler Reddick survived a chaotic NASCAR Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway to take victory from Joey Logano as several title fighters faltered due to tyre failures.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes