Hendrick Motorsports’ contingency plan for Dale Earnhardt Jr. includes Jeff Gordon.
HMS general manager Doug Duchardt said Friday that Gordon would replace Junior in the No. 88 car in the Brickyard 400 if Junior isn’t cleared to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Junior is out for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire because of concussion concerns. The team said Thursday that Junior was experiencing concussion-like symptoms and he had been advised by a neurologist not to race at New Hampshire.
“When Dale is ready it’s his car to get back into,” Duchardt said. “But if Dale can’t go next week, Jeff Gordon will be the driver at Indianapolis.”
Gordon, who retired at the end of the 2015 season, has served as an analyst for Fox Sports in 2016. With NBC having the second part of the NASCAR television schedule, he’s available to sub for Junior.
Alex Bowman is in the car for Junior at New Hampshire; Gordon is currently vacationing in France. Duchardt said the team heard from Junior on Tuesday that he still wasn’t feeling well and the team should consider contingency plans if he wasn’t able to run the full race at New Hampshire.
Bowman was fitted for his seat in Junior’s car on Tuesday night and Duchardt said he found out at approximately noon Thursday that Junior would be unable to race on Thursday. Junior had sought the opinions of a neurologist after allergy medications he was taking for what he initially believed to be allergy-related symptoms weren’t working.
“I could tell when he called me Tuesday it was a tough conversation,” Duchardt said. “I know for him, as much as he’s doing the right thing and knows he’s doing the right thing for himself, I know he feels bad and feels he’s letting [crew chief Greg Ives] and the team down. But that’s just natural. That’s how any of us would feel.”
When asked if Gordon could be more than a one-term replacement for Junior if Junior is unable to drive for more than two races; Duchardt said he didn’t want to engage in speculation regarding any length of Junior’s potential absence. A decision, he said, would likely have to be made by Wednesday as to who will drive the No. 88 at Indianapolis.
Gordon won 93 races and four Sprint Cup titles and drove the entirety of his Cup career with Hendrick Motorsports. He was replaced by Chase Elliott in the No. 24 car.
This is the third race Junior has missed because of concussion concerns. He missed two races in 2012 during the Chase after crashes at Talladega and Kansas. Junior is currently 13th in the points standings and will very likely get a waiver to be eligible for the Chase if and when he’s able to return to the driver’s seat.
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