“It’s not something that I think about, we are focusing on getting well and getting normal so I internally put all those thoughts and concerns on the backburner until I can say that I really feel normal”. “I enjoy it. My heart is there to continue and if my doctor says I’m physically able to continue, that’s an easier decision for me to make”.
Advertisement
Earnhardt, 41, hasn’t raced since July 9 at Kentucky Speedway.
“As soon as I can get healthy and get confident in how I feel and feel like I can drive a vehicle and be great driving it, then I want to drive”, said Earnhardt, who missed two races in 2012 after suffering two concussions in six weeks.
Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman will drive the No. 88 auto in the twelve remaining races this season.
“But, you know, Dale Earnhardt Jr.is money”. “I definitely don’t belong in a race vehicle today”. The sport will carry on [when Earnhardt is done], but I believe Junior when he says he’s not done racing. We learned about Dr. Micky Collins and his team at the University of Pittsburgh, the medical people guiding Junior’s recovery, monitoring his progress and the information it has gained and will continue to assess in concussion treatment.
Earnhardt said he feels his best when he’s on the couch and loses about 20 percent when he leaves the house.
But Collins said Earnhardt’s condition is a lot worse this time and deemed him as “pretty sick”.
More than a decade later, Earnhardt also spurred a baseline testing program that is now required of all drivers every preseason.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not race again this season.
“I went through this process in 2012”.
Collins said by not clearing Earnhardt to drive he felt they could focus on getting him well and reduce the stress that was associated with it. It’s a different set of skills than any of us have.
“I know how hard Dale has worked and how frustrating this is for him”, said Hendrick, who will appear with Earnhardt and Collins in a press conference at Darlington on Sunday prior to the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET on NBC). “We’re excited about the progress”.
“But we’ve run so well the last few weeks”.
“But in the past couple of weeks, I’ve really gotten where I’ve gotten more comfortable about going out”.
Problems with the vestibular system which allows one to interpret movement and motion and stabilizes one’s vision when the head was moved; interpret complex visual information.
Earnhardt stopped by to see his team preparing the No. 88 Chevrolet as fans in the pit area snapped pictures and wished him well. “The worse thing I can do is sit on the couch”. Comments today make it clear he wants to continue to race several more seasons but what if recovery continues to go slow? Remember, soon-to-be-former ally Stewart-Haas Racing will turn full-time rival at Ford beginning next season.
Earnhardt vows to return to the seat despite having a history of concussions dating back to 2002.
Recently, Earnhardt announced he will donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation. “His attitude is that he wants to be back in the vehicle and wants to get back to 100 percent when he is back in there”.
In preseason 2014, NASCAR mandated all drivers must undergo baseline testing.
Earnhardt is the son of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, who was part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. His resume includes six victories at Talladega Superspeedway, tied for the second-most all-time behind his father’s 10.
Advertisement
Those words echo what Earnhardt said in early August, when he made a brief trip to Watkins Glen International to show support for Gordon and the members of his team.
