He had missed six races before announcing Friday he was done for the year, meaning he’ll miss the final 18 events of 2016.
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In his absence, Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman will share driving duties in Earnhardt’s vehicle.
“I definitely don’t belong in a race auto today by any stretch of the imagination”, he said.
“Every point I can get on the racetrack drives me”, Ives said.
“Junior” has been evaluated on a regular basis at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program by Dr. Micky Collins and with Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr.
Even though many NASCAR fans and critics have expressed the thought that Earnhardt should use this injury as an opportunity to officially retire, Earnhardt essentially stated that retirement is not in the forecast.
Collins spoke in stark terms about Earnhardt’s condition.
“My goal was to have Dale be a human being again and it is occurring in front of our eyes. (I’m) proud of him to take a step back, make sure he gets everything in line that he needs to get in-line from a medical side or feeling side to be 100 percent when the 2107 season starts”.
“I definitely don’t belong in a race vehicle today by any stretch of the imagination”, Earnhardt said. I’m very confident we’re moving in that direction.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks to the media before practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2016. 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”, team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. He has been very diligent about doing his therapies and we actually have very specific treatments that are targeting these problems that Dale has and we are seeing the benefits of that.
“But we’ve run so well the last few weeks. I might stumble across the aisle or need more sidewalk than the normal guy, but I’ve got to put myself through those situations for that to sort of correct itself”.
Earnhardt is working daily on exercises to improve his vision and balance.
“I wish I could return to the No. 88 team this season”, Earnhardt said in a press release.
Earnhardt said it would be almost impossible to go through his current situation if it wasn’t for his fiancée, Amy Reimann. And if we work hard enough, and we really rehab these systems, anything is possible from here on out.
“We sat down and I feel very strongly the right decision was made to take Dale out of racing, so we can focus on getting him better and reduce the stress that is associated with that”, Collins said. “The seat is his”.
For Earnhardt Jr.’s, this is the second time in his racing career that a concussion has ended his season early.
Interestingly, the younger you are, the higher your risk of getting a concussion and the older you are, the quicker you may recover from one. Involved in an ugly wreck in the Daytona 500, Waltrip says he suffered a rough concussion and to this day is unable to remember anything about the following two races at Richmond and Rockingham. “As a driver, it’s a challenge because all you want to do is get back in the auto”.
Earnhardt is the son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, who was part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Collins has been tasked with Earnhardt’s recovery process since his concussion at the MI race back in June. For Earnhardt, such interactions fuel his recovery one he expects to be complete in time for next February’s Daytona 500.
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Earnhardt also co-owns the JR Motorsports team, which races in the Xfinity Series, and is a successful businessman.
