It’s official: Brian Vickers to drive for Tony Stewart at Daytona

Stewart-Haas Racing officially announced Brian Vickers as the driver of the No. 14 car at Daytona.

Vickers is replacing Tony Stewart, who will miss the Daytona 500 after suffering a back injury in late January. Stewart, who is scheduled to retire at the end of the season, is a three-time Sprint Cup Series champion but has never won the Daytona 500.

Vickers will race in the Sprint Unlimited for Stewart on Saturday night. He’ll then drive in the Daytona 500 on February 21 as well as the qualifying races for the 500 on Thursday, Feb. 18. It’s unknown if he’ll continue as Stewart’s interim driver after Daytona. The team has not announced who will be in the car at Atlanta and beyond until Stewart returns.

Stewart held a Periscope session on Friday morning, his first public words since the sand buggy accident that resulted in a fractured burst vertebra in his back.

“I didn’t hit the wrong dune,’’ Stewart said on Periscope (via NASCAR Talk). “I just went over one and nose-planted into the bottom of it. It was about a 20-25 foot drop. I didn’t think it was a straight drop on the other side.’’

Stewart was on Periscope while walking on a treadmill in Charlotte. He’s expected to be out for a significant period of time and NBC analyst Dale Jarrett said the team expects him to be out a minimum of three months.

Vickers was granted dispensation by NASCAR to participate in the Unlimited in Stewart’s absence. Eligibility for the exhibition race is typically dependent on the driver, but NASCAR made exception because SHR was preparing a car for the race before Stewart was sidelined.

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