Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon could come out of retirement next weekend and drive the No. 88 Chevrolet if Dale Earnhardt Jr.is not cleared to race.
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Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday evening that Earnhardt was sitting out this Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing the concussion-like symptoms following crashes recently at MI and again at Daytona. Gordon is on vacation in France this week and was not immediately available for comment.
Hendrick also said Jeff Gordon, who retired as a full-time Sprint Cup driver at the end of last season and now works as a FOX Sports NASCAR television analyst, initially thought his old Hendrick Motorsports boss was joking when Hendrick suggested Gordon possibly substitute for Earnhardt. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out.
Duchardt could not say if Earnhardt actually had a concussion and declined to speculate on just how long NASCAR’s most popular driver could be out of action.
“I think I can really thank Dale, Jr. for saving my career two years ago pretty much, with those two Xfinity races at Charlotte and Phoenix, and then for the opportunity to run nine races this year with him”.
“I’m not a doctor, but he’s running through a bunch of tests and he’s going to have some more tests the first of the week”, Hendrick said of Earnhardt. No comebacks, no one-offs – at least not in Cup, he said.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. waits by his vehicle before a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 2, 2016, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
He raced last Saturday night in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway but the symptoms persisted after the race.
At Michigan last month, Earnhardt was involved in an incident with fellow drivers Chris Buescher and AJ Allmendinger, but was able to drive his auto back to the garage.
He’s a four-time champion with 93 wins – he’s not a bad person to think about to get in the vehicle.
“The most important thing in this whole process is for Dale to get better and feel better”, Duchardt said, “and we’re going to let that happen on the timeline it’s going to happen on”. These guys, they’ve been working a long time to get to this point, and I’m the lucky recipient of that hard work. NASCAR mandated in 2013 for drivers to submit a baseline neurocognitive assessment.
It remains unclear when Earnhardt will return to racing.
“I’m proud of Dale for standing up”, Hendrick said.
Earnhardt had already pledged his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Earnhardt must be cleared by a neurologist before he climbs back into the vehicle, but it’s reasonable to assume Hendrick knows there’s a possibility Earnhardt won’t be back in time for Indianapolis.
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With Junior out, Hendrick turned this weekend to the 23-year-old Bowman, who has not raced in the Cup series this season and had no top-10 finishes in 71 starts over the 2014-2015 seasons.
