Photo – MWR

Michael Waltrip Racing announced today that Elliott Sadler will drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine in the 2013 season’s final four Sprint Cup races.

Sadler replaces Brian Vickers, who is unavailable for the rest of the season due to anti-coagulation medications he is taking to treat a small blood clot in his right leg. Doctors indicate Vickers will be on the medication at least two months.

Sadler drives a Joe Gibbs Racing car full-time in the Nationwide Series and begins racing the No. 55 at Martinsville Speedway on October 27th. He will then finish the season with Scott Miller as his crew chief at Texas, Phoenix  and Homestead.

“First, I am already a teammate of Brian’s at Joe Gibbs Racing and it is really tough to see him going through this again,” said Sadler. “Both of us have fought hard to get back in a position to win at NASCAR’s highest level. I am honored to have this opportunity to drive for MWR because I know their cars are competitive. I want to thank Rob Kauffman, Michael and Aaron’s for giving me this chance. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers will be for Brian to have a quick recovery.”

Waltrip explains how Sadler came to drive the No. 55.

“Elliott has all the attributes we were looking for. He’s experienced, familiar with Toyota, has a great attitude plus he’s a heck of a driver,” said the two-time Daytona 500 champion. “We’ll pair him with Scott Miller and the No. 55 guys and I know they’ll have the Aaron’s Dream Machine at the front of the field. I also want to thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota for letting us borrow Elliott for a few races.”

Sadler has 432 Sprint Cup starts with victories at Texas and Fontana in 2004, Bristol in 2001, 19 top-five and 69 top-ten finishes.

Michael Waltrip is driving the No. 55 car at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend according to the organization’s previous plan.