Brian Vickers will only miss the first two Cup races

Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brian Vickers, who had heart surgery last month after another reoccurrence of the blood clots he first suffered from in 2010, has been cleared to return to racing on March 8 at Las Vegas. This means he will only miss the first two points races of the season, the Daytona 500 on February 22 and Atlanta on March 1. Vickers' spot in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona on February 14 will be filled by the #15 Toyota of teammate Clint Bowyer. No driver has been named for Vickers' #55 Toyota for Daytona and Atlanta, although drivers like Brett Moffitt and Jeff Burton have been speculated as subs for these races.