CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR driver Brian Vickers underwent surgery to repair a hole in his heart and will miss the start of the 2015 season.
Vickers said in a Monday statement he underwent the procedure on Saturday. He described it as "corrective surgery" after tests discovered his body was rejecting an artificial patch inserted in 2010 to originally fix the hole.
It's the third major health issue to sideline Vickers since 2010.
He missed the final five races of the 2013 season because he was placed on blood thinners to treat a blood clot in his right calf. He also missed 25 races during the 2010 season when clots were discovered in his legs and lungs.
It was during his 2010 absence that the hole in his heart was discovered.
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