Brian Vickers, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner and 2003 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, re-emerged on social media on Monday, April 14, after a five-year hiatus from giving updates on his life.

In a post, Vickers shared a photo, which showed a digital sign that read, “Delete that old version of me in your head, it expired.”

Under the photo, Vickers shared a screenshot of a statement, which he wrote on the Notes App on his iPhone. In the statement, Vickers shared the news that he and Sarah Kellen, who married in 2013, would be getting a divorce.

“Hey Friends,” Vickers started the note. “After ten years of marriage and five years under a rock on social media I’m coming out of digital hiding to share some heavy news: Sarah and I are getting divorced.”

Despite the sad news, Vickers explained that he was grateful for the time the couple shared, good and bad, over the years.

“I’m grateful for the time we shared — both the joyous moments and the difficult ones. I’m grateful for the learning. I’m grateful for the growth. Now that the dust has settled, I’m more grateful than ever for the clarity,” Vickers explained.

Vickers would go on to vow that he will be more active on social media going forward, and that he has some exciting creative ventures coming up in the future.

“Here’s the good news: You can expect a bit more action out of me in the coming months. I’m back on my digital game and ready to keep y’all in the loop again,” Vickers said. “(Keep an eye out for some new creative moves, too.)”

Vickers signed off the note by sending love and grace to his followers.

The North Carolina native walked away from NASCAR at the age of 32 after suffering issues with recurring blood clots.

Vickers, who made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2009, suffered blood clots in his lungs and legs after competing in the opening 11 races of the season. This would lead the driver to miss the remainder of the campaign.

The driver would also see his 2013 and 2015 seasons end short due to complications with blood clots as well. In 2015, Vickers underwent corrective heart surgery for a patch that had been installed to repair a hole in his heart that had failed. The initial patch was installed in Vickers’ heart in 2010.

Vickers’ last race in the NASCAR National Series ranks came in relief of an injured Tony Stewart at Texas Motor Speedway in the Spring of 2016. Stewart had suffered a back injury during a dune-buggy accident prior to the start of the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season.

After his final NASCAR race in 2016, Vickers remained active on social media until vanishing completely after posting a photo of a bicycle in May 2020 with the caption, “Gorgeous day for a ride! @ Miami Beach, Florida”

While no reason for the disappearance of Vickers on social media was ever given, the former NASCAR racer had begun experiencing overwhelming numbers of responses to his posts on social media in the form of negative posts regarding his wife, Sarah.

Kellen, also known as Sarah Kensington, had been alleged to be the recruiter for the deceased American financier Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous child trafficking operation. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and then died, in what was ruled a suicide by hanging by a medical examiner, in his prison cell in August 2019.

As the news of Epstein’s arrest hit the news wire, a lot of journalists and internet sleuths began digging into the child trafficking operation that Epstein had run for years in Florida and New York. That’s when Kellen’s name started being brought up more often in news reports.

As the Epstein case dominated the news cycle, responses to Vickers’ social posts about his wife became more and more prevalent.

During Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2022 sentencing hearing tied to her role in Epstein’s operation, a judge stated that Kellen was “criminally responsible” for her role in the operation as well.

While Kellen has never been convicted of any crime related to the Epstein case, a report from the New York Post in January 2024 suggested that the former assistant of Epstein was “quietly waiting” for the other shoe to drop in the case.

As Vickers is now divorcing Kellen and moving onto the next stage of his life, the North Carolina native appears at peace with where he is, and is ready to return to the public as he dipped his toe back into the social media waters on Monday.