After a 10th-place finish in May at Darlington Raceway, Brian Vickers, center, fell ill and had to cut his season short. Now, the driver plans to be back in 2011 after heart surgery. (Photo: John Clark/NASCAR This Week)

Brian Vickers, who made the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2009, competed in only 11 races this season. After a 10th-place finish at Darlington Raceway on May 8, Vickers fell ill.

Doctors discovered that Vickers, 26, had developed blood clots in his left leg, left finger and lungs. A regimen of blood thinners made it impossible for him to compete in his No. 83 Team Red Bull Toyota.
\
Recently, Vickers went successful surgery to repair a PFO (patent foramen ovale), a small hole between the two atriums of his heart. He was also diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, in which blood flow is restricted because a vein and/or artery are pinched.

After surgery, a stent was placed in a vein, on July 13, to open it.

Now, however, Vickers expects to return to full-time competition next year.

"Not only did we figure out what the problem was," said Vickers, "but we were able to fix it. ... I'm going to be back in the No. 83 and very excited to be back with Red Bull."

Vickers, who has stayed mostly away from the track, has spent off time traveling and working out.

"My main priority is getting back to racing next year," he said. "I've 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."

Vickers, from Thomasville, N.C., expects to be off blood thinners by next January, at which point he will get back in a race car and begin testing to prepare for the 2011 season.

"What I love to do is race," he said. "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."