Huntersville, NC (Sports Network) - Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Tuesday that Brian Vickers will drive a full-time schedule for the team during the 2013 Nationwide Series season.
Dollar General will serve as the primary sponsor for Vickers' team next year. JGR also revealed that Dollar General will sponsor Matt Kenseth's No. 20 Toyota in 17 Sprint Cup Series races next season, beginning with the Daytona 500. Kenseth, who won the Daytona 500 for the second time in his career in February, is leaving Roush Fenway Racing and joining JGR at season's end.
In 2003, Vickers became the youngest driver to win a championship in NASCAR's second-tier series at age 20. He drove the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in eight Sprint Cup races this year, scoring three top-five finishes and five top 10s. Vickers is scheduled to drive the No. 55 car in nine Cup races next season.
Vickers is also slated to drive the No. 20 Toyota for JGR in Saturday's Nationwide race at Phoenix International Raceway.
"I'm very happy to stay in the Toyota family, and when you look at the Nationwide Series over the past several years, no team has dominated like Joe Gibbs Racing," Vickers said in a team statement. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get Dollar General, Toyota and JGR a Nationwide Series championship next season."
Vickers will likely team with Elliott Sadler in Nationwide next year. Sadler, who is currently tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for the points lead in that series, is expected to join JGR for the upcoming season. Two months ago, he announced his departure from Richard Childress Racing after the season concludes.
