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Brian Vickers Press Conference
Bristol Motor Speedway – August 21, 2010
Opening Statement:
BV: “It’s good to be back. I have really missed racing, to say the least, but I have really enjoyed some time off. This was my 7th full time and 8th year in Cup and a lot of people in the industry from crew members to drivers wish they had more time off because it is a very long season. Unfortunately, I had that opportunity. I have made the most of it. I started off wanting to go to every race and learn as much as I can, spend time on the spotter’s stand, on the pit box and with the crew – spend time in just about every role I could think of… and then I realized, why am I here. I’ve got a once in a lifetime opportunity to do some fun stuff I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve tried to do that. During that process, I want to talk about some procedures I’ve went through. For those of you who did know about it, friends and media industry people alike, I’d like to thank you for leaving me alone and out of the press during this process. I promised you when I first announced all of this, I would be an open book when the time was right for me, so that is what I am here to do today. Most of you know about the blood clots I had, the pulmonary embolisms, the clot in my left leg and clots in the lungs. During that process, I also had a clot that went to my left finger. The only way for a clot to get there from where they were created was through my heart from the right atrium to the left atrium. It’s called a PFO (Patent foramen ovale). It’s a hole between the two atriums, and surprisingly enough, it’s pretty common. About 25% of people have this hole. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to diagnose and very intrusive to diagnose, so a lot of people don’t find it. That being said, most people will live their entire life with it and it would make little or no difference in their life, they will never know about it, and it would be irrelevant. If you have a clot, the risk is that it can go the way the blood circulates it goes to your lungs, which act as a filtering system. People get little clots all the time. Your lungs filter those out and the body naturally breaks them down. My clots were bigger than normal and that’s why I had a pulmonary embolism. Through that process it goes to your right atrium, which is a low risk from a heart attack standpoint, a little bigger, different in pressure. I’m not a doctor, so I won’t get into much detail. If you have a PFO that is open. By the way everyone has this while you are in the womb, and when they are born it closes on 75% of the people. If you have a clot in the right atrium, it can jump through that hole if the hole is active. The clot can go to your left atrium. The risk with left atrium is it is a little smaller, more confined, the risk of heart attack is increased a bit, but the primary concern is a stroke. After the left atrium, the clot goes to your left arm or your brain, so I got really lucky. Mine went to my left arm, so I didn’t have a stroke. I had some difficult decisions to make, whether or not to close the hole in my heart. Given my profession, we felt that after I came off Coumadin, it would be best to go in and close it. At the time, we still didn’t have a full grasp on what cause the original clot, so I met with some doctors at Harvard and some in Charlotte, and we came up with a theory that I had May-Thurner Syndrome. That is when a vein and and artery are pinched and slow the blood flow in that region. So we had both of these decisions… was May-Thurners part of the cause. Obviously it wasn’t the whole cause because I spent most of my life without clots. So there was a 3rd factor induced, which was the racing, whether the carbon monoxide or double duty at Talladega, we will probably never know for sure. But there was something else, and we suspected that. Through closing the hole in my heart, where they go in for that procedure, they can take a look and see if I have the May-Thurners Syndrome. So I decided to do the procedure and close the hole, put it behind me and move on in my life and never have to worry about it again. So if I did have a clot, it would reduce the chance of actually having a stroke. During the process, they looked for May-Therners, I did have it, which was bad news but great news. Dr. Bill Downey at Charlotte Medical Center (CMC) is the one who actually did the procedure and did a fabulous job. The heart surgery went so well that he decided to put the stint in the next day. I had the hole closure on July 12, and the stint July 13. They put a stint in the vein to open it back up to prevent me from being in the position to have another clot. A lot has happened since I saw you last. I have had heart surgery and a stint put in – never thought I would have had either at age 26, but both went extremely well. I am on Coumadin and Plavix still and I will be for the rest of the year, so I am still out of the car. But they gave me full clearance for next year. I will be back next season, and back in the car in January. I am very excited about that. The doctors feel that I am in the best shape of my life. I’ve got 2 issues I never knew about fixed, and it has been a breath of fresh air to me to know what caused this, or part of what cause it, because it wasn’t one thing. That was a looming question mark for us. So not only did we figure out what it was, but we were able to fix it. I did clear and pass all the genetic blood testing so that had nothing to do with my clots. I am going to be back in the #83 and very excited to be back with Red Bull. In the meantime, I’ve been traveling, before and after the surgery, come to some races, spending time with family and friends, spending time in Florida boating, some time in Aspen biking through the mountains. Still training every day and loving it – biking, swimming and golfing. I’m trying to make the most of the time off. My main priority is getting back to racing next year. I have been given a gift – things happen for a reason. I’ve had some time to think back and look at my career, both personally and professionally. I don’t think I’ll change a lot when I come back, but I do think I will change some. I’ll going to probably tolerate a lot less, but at the same time there will be areas I will tolerate a lot more, just depends on what it is. I have a new appreciation for life. I’m looking forward to it. I feel great, and can’t wait to race.”
When will you sit in a race car and run test laps?
BV: “Right now it will be January. All related to blood thinner. They don’t see any reason currently that I will not be off blood thinners by January 1 or mid January, and be able to test.”
Do you have any more surgeries schedules, and how often do you have to be tested to see if blood clots return?
BV: “I do not have any more surgeries scheduled. I am going back in for an evaluation this week, the first one since the surgery. Unless they see a reason to test me, they probably won’t. There is no procedure for that. They can do CT scans, but you raise the risk for other ailments for that. I’ve only taken 1 CT scan, when they found the original clot. The process is you take blood thinners for 3-6 months, ideally 6 months, and that’s it, unless you have a reason to take them for the rest of your life.”
What has been the hardest thing to come to grips with being out of the car since May?
BV: “What I love to do is race. It is not only my job, but my passion. I’ve been missing that need for speed, the competition, my people and friends in the industry, but at the same time, it has been nice to take a break. There is a lot more to the Sprint Cup Series than just turning laps. The biggest thing is just missing being in the car, going 200mph, banging fenders with the guys I love and hate. I’ve missed it all, but I still look back at the situation as a blessing in disguise. I think it will turn out being really good for my career.”
Have you been running any simulators, what have you been doing to stay focused on racing? And how supportive has Red Bull been through all of this?
BV: “I haven’t been in any simulators. I have played NASCAR on xbox a few times, don’t know if that really counts. When this all happened, one of my main concerns was what is the perception going to be if I don’t show up to every race. So I started off going to races, but my stress levels were getting so high that my Coumadin wasn’t even taking effect. Doctors told me to take some time off and relax. I realized I wanted to participate and help Red Bull in any way possible. I can’t express just how supportive they have been through this process. We all talk about the Red Bull lifestyle and the amount of things they allow you to do, and support you to do, but through this they have been as much if not more supportive than anything I’ve ever done. I want to be involved and support the team, but with the time away I’ve had options to do some things with Red Bull I wouldn’t have been able to do . I went to the Red Bull Air Race in New York City, one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life, and went with the Red Bull F1 team to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. So it’s been cool to support Red Bull in other facets as well. I’ve realized perception is reality. No matter what I do, whether right or wrong, will solely be determined by my performance next season. If I went to every race this season, and we ran well next year, they would say it was the right thing to do. If I went to every race this season and we ran bad, it would be the wrong thing to do. If I don’t go to a single race until the end of the season, then show up and win the Daytona 500, every story will say that I did the right thing by taking the time off. That said, I decided to not worry about what everyone thinks and do what is right for me and Red Bull. So when I get back to the track, it’s the only thing on my mind and 100% of my time and focus.”
Did you have a hand in the Kasey Kahne signing/decision?
BV: “No, I am looking forward to working with Kasey. I actually read about it online. I didn’t know anything about it.”
Did the doctors say there is any risk at all when you start racing again? What do you foresee happening with Scott Speed or 3rd car in 2011 scenario?
BV: “As of now, knowing what we know, my chances of having a clot when I come off Coumadin are no higher than anyone else in the garage. I’m as good, if not better, than I was a year ago from that standpoint.
I’m excited to work with Kasey. As far as how that goes down, I know what you know. I read about it online. Jay told me something was going to happen, but he didn’t tell me what, and then I read an article. That is really a question for Red Bull and Jay Frye, but I am going to be in the #83 and I’m very excited about it.”
Do you continue your career with any doubts, or put this all behind you?
BV: “For me, I put it completely behind me. Look 100% ahead -- enjoy every day and moment. You never know what could happen.”
Do you have any fear you have lost some edge?
BV: “I feel I have gained some edge. This has given me an opportunity to step back and look inwards and figure out what I really want and gain appreciation for what I do. Sometimes you don’t know how much you really love something until you don’t have it, and I can tell you I really love racing. I think my edge, drive and determination is only going to increase when I come back next year.”
Tell us about your research on your condition. How did you learn all the details of your condition? We all know you love to read.
BV: “Bugged the doctors, really listening to them and trying to understand and evaluate the situation, knowing what I can do to help. Reading a lot about what it is. I am far away from an expert on any of this, but I have learned a lot. It can happen to any of us no matter what your age, or how healthy you are. You always assume that if you are healthy, your risk of everything goes down, but that is not always the case.”
Does the stint make you change anything in your lifestyle? Does your insurance change? Have you gotten approval from NASCAR to race?
BV: “I don’t have a stint in my heart, I have a stint in one of the primary veins in my left leg. In my heart is a device that is like a double sided umbrella, for lack of a better term, that goes on both sides of the hole to close the hole. The skin in your heart grows skin over it in 2-3 months – happens that fast, it is incredible. Body adapts to it and can move on.
I haven’t sat down and spoken to NASCAR, but I assume that if my doctors say I’m in better shape that I was before and there are less risks than before, since we have found the problem, fixed it and done preventative stuff for the future. I can’t imagine they would have a problem.
I haven’t spoken to anyone about insurance. I guess at some point that could come up, but right now, I’m just day by day.”
Most people your age have a sence of invincibility. Do you feel as strong now that you are through this process, or does it change your outlook?
BV: “It has been a realization to me, that no matter how healthy you are, anything can go wrong. That since of vulnerability, just walking down the street has gone up. Knowing at any moment something could happen. I think that is where my new appreciation for life comes in. That being said, when it comes to risk taking, driving race cars, skydiving, just living life – and I’ve never had a problem in the fear department -- has probably gone down. I’m probably more apt to push it to the limit and push it beyond the edge in racing or whatever else than I was before. I think once you have an appreciation for how precious life is and how it can be gone in the blink of an eye, it makes you want to really live life to the fullest in other areas.”
How difficult of a decision was it to have the heart surgery?
BV: “It was a difficult decision for sure. My decision was this: If I had the operation and something went wrong, I died…that wouldn’t be good. But I feel pretty good about where I am going next, so I’m ok with that. And my other option is not to close it and run the risk of a stroke. I would rather die than have a stroke. That was my thought process. I don’t want to live like a vegetable. If it was a choice between the two, why not have the surgery. At least I can reduce my risk for a stroke.”
Closing Statement:
BV: “I just want to thank everyone for their support – the industry, fans, media, family and friends. The outpouring of support has been amazing. Thank You!"
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