Time away gives Vickers deeper appreciation

Sunday’s Kobalt 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) in Las Vegas will be Vickers’ first Sprint Cup Series race of the season in his No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota as he recovers from offseason open-heart surgery. Doctors had to repair an issue from a previous operation to “patch” a hole in his heart. It’s the third time since 2010 that Vickers has been sidelined because of serious medical issues, including a hole in his heart and recurring blood clots found at various times in his lung, leg and finger.

Vickers, 32, has dealt with these life-altering, career-interrupting diagnosis and conditions through the years with thoughtful perspective – a quality those that know him would say he benefitted from well before he needed it most.

“I think a perspective is anytime you have to fight for something and anytime it’s taken away from you — I mean, it’s kind of like a kid with a toy, right?” Vickers said. “You take the toy away — they just want the toy more. How many times have you pulled a toy away from a kid and — we’re just big kids, especially boys, we never grow up and I see a lot of females nodding — so you take their toy away and they just want it even more.

“And I’ve had it taken away several times, so, yes, I want it more and I think I also have a deeper appreciation for it. I think when you get in a routine, you do something for 10 years or 15 years, five years, whatever it is, you just kind of wake up in the morning and you expect it and then one day when you realize and maybe several days you realize that you can’t just wake up and expect it, you’ve got to fight for it and you appreciate it more and you love it more

“But at the same time, I also have — I think I’ve tried to find balance in my life where, like I said earlier, it’s not who I am. If it doesn’t happen, my life’s not over. There’s still a lot of things to be done and challenges and opportunities and you just kind of keep going.”

Which is good news for Michael Waltrip Racing, which has steadfastly held a seat for the 2003 XFINITY Series champion and three-time Cup winner. His value to the team is not only behind the wheel. Vickers has contributed even when he’s not been racing. Just ask 22-year old racer Brett Moffitt.

Moffitt admirably filled in for Vickers in the No. 55 last week at Atlanta (eighth-place finish) and as a MWR development driver has relied on Vickers as a mentor on-track and someone whose path of perseverance away from the track, inspires.

“I think we all have different stories of how we got here and how we stay here,'” Moffitt said Friday. “Seeing him [Vickers] go through all of this for multiple times and still having the will power to come back and tell himself he won’t be defeated is huge. His energy and attitude are better than ever right now. I really think he will come back on top of his game here, which he has proved in the past he can do.”

Some would find it interesting that as Vickers has navigated his medical challenges, his philosophy about his job has evolved too. A big talent, who has won money and fame and adoration through his performance on track, Vickers has discovered there is a good life to be had no matter how high your profile.

“It’s something over the last 10 years and my life and particularly the last five years dealing with everything, I’ve learned that my love for racing has only increased — my love for what I do and how much I appreciate it — but I’ve also learned that it’s not who I am,” Vickers said.

“It’s something I do and it’s part of who I am. It’s a very special part of who I am and it’s something that means the world to me, but it’s not who I am. If I can’t race, that’s okay — life is going to go on.

“I think from that perspective, yes, I asked the doctors, ‘Can I go race and I want to go race,’ but if they say no, I’m not going to fight them. If they said, ‘Listen, we don’t think it’s safe,’ I’m not going to fight them on it. Kind of through that process — I mean, listen, being back here at Vegas, it was their choice, not me. I didn’t push them into this.”

That’s not to say that Vickers didn’t always hope for the best and plan for the positive. Faced with difficult odds and given medical challenges he never anticipated, Vickers has remained equal parts strong, optimistic and philosophic. The upside of having to overcome these tough, personal and emotional circumstances is finding out that you can.

“There are certainly times where I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be back and then you kind of deal with those emotions and then all the sudden you’re back and then you have to deal with those emotions,” Vickers said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. I think to a large extent a month ago, I was as curious as probably some of you were as to how I would feel Friday morning. I can tell you I couldn’t be happier.”

“I was talking to someone on the way in and they asked what my emotions were going into this and I kind of look at it like a win-win. If we go out there and do well, that’s great. And even if we don’t, just being able to get back in a race car again and go 200 is incredible.”

Then he paused and smiled again, offering a not-too subtle lesson to us as all.

“No matter what the outcome, I’m happy to be here and happy to be back in a car again and get a chance to do something I love, but I’m an optimist — I think we’re going to go out there and do well and I’m really proud of what this Aaron’s Dream Machine team has done so far this year with Michael (Waltrip, team co-owner and a part-time driver) and Brett (Moffitt, replacement driver) and the gains we’ve made through the off-season and the gains that Toyota has made through the off-season and hopefully we can put it all together here this weekend in Vegas and come out of here with a good finish.”

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