Earnhardt defends wife in Clash debate
INDIANAPOLIS — Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his own statement Saturday.
He defended his wife’s Twitter post while blaming himself for putting her in a position in which she felt she had to speak out.
Five days after Amy Earnhardt wrote it wouldn’t be “worth the risk” to see her husband compete in next year’s Clash at Daytona, the 42-yearold driver explained outsiders don’t understand what the family endured as he recovered from concussion-related symptoms last year.
“She’s been there for everything,” Earnhardt said at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “A lot of folks that may have a different opinion about it weren’t there through the whole process. If anyone knows how difficult it was beside me, it would be her. It wasn’t a lot of fun for her.”
Earnhardt announced in April he would retire after this season, in part because of his injury history. Two big crashes last summer forced him out of the final 18 races, and he missed two races during the 2012 playoffs because of concussion-related symptoms, too.
But Earnhardt appeared to reopen the possibility of returning to Daytona International Speedway after winning the pole there three weeks ago. To be eligible for the preseason event, drivers must win at least one pole during the previous season, be a previous Clash winner or be a former Daytona 500 pole-winner who still competes full-time in the Cup Series.
On a recent podcast, Earnhardt said he told team owner Rick Hendrick that competing in the Clash would be something his wife “needed to warm up to.” She hasn’t so far.
“I’ve received many comments on Dale Jr. running the 2018 Clash based on whether or not I give my blessing,” she wrote Tuesday night. “Considering his struggles last fall with his injury, we are very blessed that he is now healthy, happy and able to enjoy his final season … and hopefully many years beyond racing. So my answer is simple. It’s not worth the risk to his health.”
While some fans were upset with the response, Earnhardt said his wife felt she needed to take her opinion to the public. He also suggested his immediate reaction following the pole-winning run left his wife in a tough spot.
“It sounds like a great idea right off the bat, but maybe it’s not worth it,” Earnhardt said, explaining the Clash has a higher crash rate than other NASCAR races.
“I feel much more in control of my own fate in the remainder of this season and anything I do beyond that, than I do being out there in the Clash, to be honest with you. But if it’s something she feels strongly about, we have to sit down and I have to hear her out.”
Even if he doesn’t compete in the 2018 season-opening race, Earnhardt intends to compete next season in two Xfinity Series races for the JR Motorsports team he co-owns, and he plans to be involved in the sport in other ways.