“Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at MI and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist”, Earnhardt said in a statement released by Hendrick Motorsports.
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Earnhardt will sit out Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and there is no timetable on when NASCAR’s most popular driver might return. “I just want him to feel good when he gets back in the vehicle”. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out …
“I’m very hopeful. He’s very hopeful and I think the doctors are going to error on the side of being sure. We want to see him back”.
Earnhardt said he was plugged in to what the No. 88 team was doing with substitute driver Alex Bowman at New Hampshire and praised the 23-year-old for his performance. He was running in the top-10 when he had contact on a restart at lap 269.
Here’s what Earnhardt had to say on his podcast.
FILE – In this February 14, 1965, file photo, Fred Lorenzen, of Elmhurst, Ill., gives a victory wave after winning the Daytona 500 mile stock vehicle auto race which was halted by rain at the end of 133 laps, in Daytona Beach, Fla. It won’t be shocking if more race vehicle drivers do the same thing as Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Fred Lorenzen and donate their brain for concussion research.
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said he was glad Earnhardt admitted he was experiencing problems and sought medical attention. Theyre young, theyre hungry, but when they get in a wreck and get a concussion, they know if they dont get back in the vehicle, someone else is going to take it.
Earnhardt later took to Twitter to thank everyone for their support: “I appreciate everyone’s support and prayers and will miss my team terribly this weekend”. Earnhardt didn’t sound optimistic he would race at Indy as he continues to work with doctors. I’m hopeful and encouraged that Dale will be fine – we just have to give him a little time to rest.
Although Earnhardt also had concussion issues in 2012, missing two races, Hendrick said he isn’t anxious about his driver’s long-term future.
Although his team and NASCAR applauded Earnhardt for making the decision, the questions remain: Will other drivers follow his lead if they have concussion-like symptoms, and does NASCAR need to do more? He doesn’t want to let the team down.
“I’ve had enough sinus infections, and when you’re taking medication for that, you don’t feel 100 percent”, Hendrick said. With only eight races left until the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Junior is getting dangerously close to missing the championship field. Earnhardt said he was proud of Bowman.
After the most recent race at Kentucky, Earnhardt Jr.is 14th in points, 32 above the cut-line, with no wins.
“He’s kind of an iron man”. “He’s doing good and he wants to be in the auto”. But the best thing the doctors can do is go through all the protocol and do all the tests, and there’s a bunch of tests.
Gordon tweeted he was in France this weekend, which him ruled him out for a potential return at New Hampshire. Ten years later, Earnhardt had two concussions in six weeks, one he self-diagnosed at a tire test in Kansas and another after a big crash at Talladega.
Duchardt described Gordon as “not a bad person to think about to put in the vehicle”.
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“My results matched my baseline, which made me feel confident that my brain is pretty sharp; it feels good”, Earnhardt said. “I said, ‘Well, bring your driver’s uniform just in case.’ He said, ‘Are you kidding?’; and I said, ‘No, I’m serious.’ So, if Dale can’t go then Jeff is ready to step in”.
