Vickers Back Behind The Wheel at Las Vegas
Story By: STEWART- HAAS RACING MEDIA Photos By: GETTY IMAGES / NASCAR
HUNTERSVILLE, NC- February 24, 2016- NASCAR XFINITY Series regular Ty Dillon has run just eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in his career.
Seven of those have come while driving for his grandfather’s team, Richard Childress Racing.
However, last Sunday, the soon-to-be 28-year-old, Thomasville, N.C. driver embarked on what is scheduled to be a part-time in Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing’s No. 95 Chevrolet, finishing 25th in the 58th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Now, the developing racer is going to play substitute, furthering his learning curve and experience.
Stewart-Haas Racing announced Tuesday that Dillon will be an interim driver for the injured Tony Stewart, starting with the QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.
Dillon could also drive the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet at Phoenix International Raceway (March 13) and Auto Club Speedway (March 20), putting him in three of the next four Sprint Cup events.
The 2011 ARCA Racing Series champion has run 79 career races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, scoring one win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013. He finished a career best third in the championship standings in 2015 after scoring 25 top-1o finishes.
Dillon replaces Stewart, who suffered a fracture of the L1 vertebrae during an non-racing related (an off-roading ATV crash) accident in late-January.
Stewart’s timetable for return is unknown at this time.
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 6), Brian Vickers will take the reins of the No. 14 for the second time. He opened the season for Stewart-Haas in the Daytona 500 — finishing 26th after being competitive in the final 50 miles, running as far up on the leaderboard as second
