(Press Release from New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is celebrating 25 years of racing at the track with a countdown of memorable moments
Brian Vickers celebrated with fans on the frontstretch after winning the 2013 Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Photo: Courtesy of New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
LOUDON, N.H. – Nothing was going to stop Tony Stewart from pulling away from the field on restarts. Nothing, except a dry gas tank. And it was Brian Vickers who took advantage of Stewart’s bad luck, zipping by him on the Magic Mile backstretch with one lap to go and holding on to win the 2013 Camping World RV Sales 301 – Vickers’s third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in 271 career starts.
This unforgettable moment is No. 9 on New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s top-10 moments of all-time as it celebrates 25 years of racing at the Magic Mile.
“Hard to put into words,” said Vickers, who celebrated his win sharing high-fives to fans along the frontstretch. “This is one of the most special events of my life. It feels like the first time in my career, the partners and owners and managers and crew chief are as good as it has been in my career.”
It was also Vickers’s first win since being diagnosed with blood clots in his legs and lungs.
“Wake up one morning and hope to be around the next. To then I hope to race to now I am racing. To now I don’t have a job then getting a call to see if I’m interested in running races,” said Vickers, who reflected on his return to racing from the health scare. “The biggest thing is support from my family and friends through the difficult times, a select few folks who still believed in me and supported me along the way.”
Vickers became the 11th different winner in the last 11 Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the longest active streak of any track in the circuit at that time. It was the first victory and fourth top-10 finish in 16 races for Vickers at New Hampshire, and his first victory in the Sprint Cup Series since taking the checkers at Michigan International Speedway in 2009.
Vickers, who signed on as a full-time pilot with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2014, had a recurrence of his blood clot issues earlier this season and has been sidelined indefinitely. There is no timetable for his return behind the wheel, but has joined NBC’s NASCAR coverage making appearances on “NASCAR America,” NBC Sports Network’s show covering the sport.
NBC Sports will begin its NASCAR coverage this weekend at Daytona International Speedway and will cover the New Hampshire 301 at NHMS on July 19 with the race scheduled to air on the NBC Sports Network.
Great seats are still available for the Oxford Casino Season of Speed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 right around the corner on Sunday, July 19. To purchase tickets please call the NHMS ticket hotline at (603)783-4931 or visit www.nhms.com.
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