Brian Vickers Ruled Eligible For Sprint Unlimited Race

Brian Vickers

NASCAR has ruled that the no. 14 Chevrolet of Stewart-Haas Racing will be eligible for Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited race despite Tony Stewart not being in the driver's seat.

Stewart, who injured his back in an ATV accident on Jan. 31, will be replaced by driver Brian Vickers in both the Sprint Unlimited and season-opening Daytona 500 in Feb. 21

The Sprint Unlimited is a non-points event with eligibility tied to the driver, not the team, and Stewart made the field as a past winner of the event. Saturday night's race will mark Vickers sixth start in the event. His best finishes have a pair of eight-place showings in the 2007 and 2010 events when he was running for Red Bull Racing