Dale Earnhardt Jr. and fiancee Amy Reimann.
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NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.is shutting it down for the rest of the season as he continues to recover from a concussion.
Although there is no timetable on when a possible return to racing may happen, Earnhardt Jr. made it clear once again his plan is to drive again once he receives full medical clearance.
For the last six races, Alex Bowman and Jeff Gordon have substituted in driving the No. 88.
Gordon said the team has not let the potential of Earnhardt never returning to impact its week-to-week preparation.
Earnhardt in a written statement said it was disappointing, but, “I know this is the right thing for my long-term health and career”. They’re seeing good progress in my test results, and I’m feeling that progress physically. “You don’t know how long this process is going to take and we want to be healthy and able to compete at some point, but also we don’t want to take any risks and re-injury ourselves or put ourselves in a situation where we can basically erase all the hard work that we have done to get better”. “My heart wants me to continue and be working with the guys I got”.
“Our goal is to see him become a human being again”, Collins said.
“We’ve got a lot of time between now and Daytona”, Hendrick said. Gordon will race four more times including this week’s Bojangles’ Southern 500; Bowman will take over for the remainder of the season.
Photos and graphic for Headline Surfer / Jeff Gortdon and Alex Bowman will continie to fillin in for Dale Earnhardt Jr who will sit out the last 12 races as he has the previous six with concussion-like symptoms.
Some of NASCAR’s concussion protocols have been driven in part by Earnhardt, who earlier this year pledged to donate his brain for research.
Two conclusions were inescapable after Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s news conference on Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
“It seems like this has lasted a really, really long time, but when you look at it on paper, it’s been a very short period”, said Earnhardt, victor of the Cup series’ Most Popular Driver award 13 years running. “In traffic, I was just too tight for a little while and as we went I would get too loose on exit, but I found some lines that worked for me and that helped, but a tough race”.
“I definitely don’t belong in a race auto today by any stretch of the imagination”. “I’m feeling better every day”.
Earnhardt said it was good being at the track and seeing familiar faces and being with his team members.
“When I first saw Dale a month and a half ago, I can tell you he was pretty sick”, said Collins, who said Earnhardt was having problems with both his vision and balance as well as anxiety and mood swings.
“I’m only 41”, Earnhardt continued.
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Larson enters this weekend riding high on momentum as he scored his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.
