Earnhardt says health priority
His test at Darlington was the final hurdle for him to earn clearance to compete next season.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It took less than four laps for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to feel back at home in his race car. His test this week at Darlington Raceway was the final hurdle for NASCAR’s most popular driver to earn clearance to compete next season.
The test ended months of speculation — should Earnhardt retire? Was the risk of suffering yet another concussion too great? — and a detailed medical plan helped get him back on the track when many thought he should just step away for good.
“When you get something taken away from you, you certainly realize what it’s worth,” Earnhardt said Friday. “I’m feeling recharged and energized about coming back ready to race. I’ve got a lot left in the tank.”
And he wants to make something perfectly clear: Earnhardt would not be climbing back into the No. 88 Chevrolet if his doctors had not assured him that he’s healthy and his past concussion history hasn’t put him at a heightened risk of permanent injury.
“I have a personal responsibility to myself. My health is No. 1. I am not going to take any unnecessary risks with my health,” he said. “I wouldn’t be coming back to the seat and being excited to drive if there was any additional risk, other than the typical risk that every driver faces. I feel confident in what my doctors are telling me ... in me being able to withstand the normal wear and tear and getting into that unfortunate accident from time to time.”
Earnhardt’s lengthy history with concussions flared again this year after a crash at Michigan in June. He missed the final 18 races of the season and spent that time in intensive therapy meant to first help him control vision, balance and nausea.
That lengthy process completed, his doctors focused on getting him ready to drive a car again, and it happened Wednesday at the South Carolina track considered one of the most demanding in NASCAR. He admitted to a sleepless night before the test, and an anxiousness to get inside his beloved Chevrolet the moment his feet touched the ground at Darlington. With neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty on site, the Hendrick Motorsports team eased into the session.
Earnhardt started with 15lap runs, then climbed from the car to be assessed by Petty. As the day went on, his vision and balance were not only checking out fine, but improving after every run. Soon he was up to 30 laps at a time, he felt up to speed — and he felt ready to race.
“Felt like an old shoe by the end of the day,” he said. “I felt really, really confident that by the end of the day, I was 100 percent ready to get back in the car.”