Three days before the New Hampshire race, Hendrick Motorsports announced he would sit out the race after experiencing concussion-like symptoms.
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Earnhardt is out with a concussion and hasn’t been medically cleared to drive after reportedly complaining of nausea and balance issues. Alex Bowman replaced Earnhardt at New Hampshire.
After receiving a medical evaluation on Tuesday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. told fans via his “Dale Jr”.
Team owner Rick Hendrick said he does not think the concussion symptoms that sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr. are career threatening.
Jeff Gordon is coming back to NASCAR, but not in the No. 24 vehicle.
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s status for the Brickyard 400 has been sketchy at best. “We’re all proud of him and looking forward to having him racing soon”, said Hendrick.
While retirement talk for the 41-year-old Earnhardt might be premature, his history of concussions is clearly a concern. “[My doctors] can give me a lot of exercises that retrain my brain to handle what I need to handle – it’s just going to take a lot of patience”, Earnhardt said.
The last driver other than Earnhardt to win in the No. 88 auto was NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett, who won October 2, 2005 at Talladega for Robert Yates Racing.
The team made its decision on Wednesday.
It was be the epitome of mixed emotions for Gordon to get back in a Hendrick vehicle.
“If there was something major wrong, I think (doctors) would have seen it already”, Hendrick said.
Gordon, the four-time series champ and only five-time victor of the Brickyard 400, will make his season debut just a short drive away from his boyhood home in Pittsboro, Indiana.
There have been more than 76 million video views on the NASCAR Facebook and Twitter accounts, more than five times as many as past year.
Gordon’s last event was in the 2015 season finale at Homestead.
Per the site, this week’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the first for Gordon in anything other than the No. 24 vehicle he raced 797 times in the Sprint Cup Series. Gordon will be in the auto at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend and Pocono Raceway next week.
Hendrick went on to say that they want to see Earnhardt back in the vehicle but they will give him all the time that he needs to recover. Jeff Gordon has always said that he would make a couple of appearances in a couple of races here and there.
NASCAR fans in Indianapolis will see Jeff Gordon back behind the wheel Sunday for the “Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard”.
Jeff Gordon isn’t done quite yet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This marks the first time in Gordon’s Sprint Cup career he will drive a vehicle other than the No. 24. And while it’s unclear if Gordon will be needed beyond the Pocono weekend, the four-time champion is no slouch at Watkins Glen, Bristol, Michigan and Darlington either. He’s one of the sports’ bad boys, which is good – really, really good – for a sport that prides itself both on the talent of its drivers and their distinct personalities.
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So while the team will be thrilled when Earnhardt returns, it will also once more adjust to change.
