He will also miss the race at Pocono Raceway on July 31.
Advertisement
NASCAR fans will get a blast from the past this weekend when Jeff Gordon comes out of retirement to temporarily replace injured driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports auto.
Hendrick said it has yet to be determined whether Gordon continues to drive for Earnhardt if needed.
Earnhardt, 41, sat out Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because he was not cleared to race.
That team owner Rick Hendrick asked Gordon to fill Earnhardt’s vacant seat is infallible logic.
Brickyard organizers had billed last years race as Gordons last ride on his home track.
That will be a really weird feeling because the only auto he ever drove was the 24, Fox Sports commentator and three-time Cup champ Darrell Waltrip said Wednesday.
Gordon’s history at the Brickyard makes him a natural pick for Sunday’s Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM).
This is not the first time Earnhardt has dealt with concussion issues.
Since Gordon retired from the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy last November, the four-time Cup champion has acclimated smoothly into the TV booth for NASCAR on FOX.
“I told Jeff, ‘I want you to do it because I know you will do a great job and probably can win the race.’ But I also told him I’m jealous because I would have loved the opportunity to get in a auto like that the last year of my career or even a year or two after I retired”, Waltrip said.
“I know there’s probably a lot of speculation about what type of injury or symptoms I’m dealing with”, Earnhardt said in a recording he made Sunday night for his weekly podcast released Monday. He competed in his 23rd and final full-time Sprint Cup Series season in 2015.
Gordon can earn owner points for the No. 88 Chevrolet, but cannot accumulate driver points for Earnhardt. So, when one of your best drivers ever is sitting around in retirement (and doing race commentary), why not call him back in for one last job?
Earnhardt, who had two concussions in 2012, has said he will donate his brain to scientific research after he dies. Gordon has five career Brickyard wins at Indianapolis, the most by any driver all-time. He has won the event a record five times, including the inaugural one in 1994, and he has been the fastest qualifier three times.
“When they say you’re good to go, then he’ll be back”, Hendrick said. “We’re all proud of him and looking forward to having him racing soon”.
Last week, Alex Bowman was the replacement as Gordon was in France with his family.
Earnhardt, of course, isn’t happy to be missing competitions, but he understands the necessity to recover completely before taking over the No. 88 vehicle again.
Advertisement
Gordon is a four-time Cup series champion.
