Yahoo Autos Dale Earnhardt Jr. Is All Clear to Race In 2017
As a result of concussion symptoms following a June crash, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sat out 18 races in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup. Earnhardt had to watch races from pit row since July, but following a successful test this week, he's been cleared to race for the 2017 season.
Per a NASCAR news release, Earnhardt completed 185 laps in a five hour session at Darlington Raceway Wednesday, at which point he was medically cleared to race in 2017. Earnhardt is set to make his big return at the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 26th.
Yesterday was a great day to go to the track and cut some laps! Happy to be back to work. The final box is checked! pic.twitter.com/YETdToYc1Z
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) December 8, 2016
"I feel great, and I'm excited to officially be back," said Earnhardt in a statement. "I expected things to go really well yesterday, and that's exactly what happened. Actually getting in a race car was an important final step, and it gives me a ton of confidence going into 2017."
"I'll do more testing in January to help knock the rust off," Earnhardt added. "When it's time to go to Daytona, I'll be ready."
Alex Bowman, who filled in for Earnhardt for 10 races in 2016, will race the #88 car in The Clash, a pre-season, non-championship race held at Daytona. Jeff Gordon, who kinda sorta came out of retirement to fill in for Earnhardt, will also race at Daytona in 2017, though at January's 24 Hour with Cadillac and Wayne Taylor Racing.
"Dale deserves so much credit," said team owner Rick Hendrick. "I'm proud of him for listening to his body and standing up to take responsibility for his health"
Earnhardt has had a number of concussions over his long career in NASCAR, so he announced in May that he will donate his brain for concussion research. A prescient decision, given what happened shortly thereafter.
While his 2016 absence was surely disappointing for Earnhardt and his many fans, he inarguably made a smart choice sitting races out, setting a good example for all in sports. Hopefully this'll be rewarded with a good performance in the 2017 season.
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