NASCAR beefs up concussion testing before season begins
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. was confident NASCAR took the right step Friday when it beefed up its concussion protocol by adding a consistent screening rule at all venues.
“Good to see progress being made and implemented. Health and safety is top priority,” Earnhardt tweeted.
Earnhardt, long NASCAR’s most popular driver, was sidelined for the second half of last season with a concussion. Earnhardt missed the final 18 races with nausea, vision and balance issues after at least the fifth concussion of his career following a June wreck.
In the 16 years since his father’s death at Daytona, NASCAR has introduced a series of measures designed to keep drivers safe, from helmet and restraint systems to impact-absorbing SAFER barriers along concrete walls, all designed to cushion the blows of high-impact wrecks.
NASCAR made baseline concussion tests mandatory for all drivers in 2014, but expanded the protocol this year just nine days before the Daytona 500 with a consistent screening tool and additional neurological support in the hope of keeping drivers healthier.
Drivers who are involved in a wreck that sends their car to the garage will now be required to report to the infield care centre for an evaluation. Under the old rule, a driver went to the care centre only if their car had to be towed from the track.
NASCAR’s standards will also require infield care centre physicians to use the SCAT-3 diagnostic tool in screening for head injuries. NASCAR has already announced plans to use a travelling safety crew and a rotating roster of physicians.