Dale Earnhardt Jr. out for rest of season because of concussion

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has missed seven races (Getty).

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2016 season is over.

Hendrick Motorsports said Friday that Earnhardt Jr. would miss the rest of the season as he recovers from a concussion doctors believe he sustained at Michigan in June. Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman will fill in for Junior for the remainder of the year.

“I wish I could return to the No. 88 team this season,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a team statement. “To say I’m disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how I feel, but I know this is the right thing for my long-term health and career. I’m 100 percent focused on my recovery, and I will continue to follow everything the doctors tell me. They’re seeing good progress in my test results, and I’m feeling that progress physically. I plan to be healthy and ready to compete at Daytona in February. I’m working toward that.

“The support from both inside and outside the race team has been overwhelming. Everyone has been so encouraging and positive, from my teammates and sponsors to my family, friends and fans. It’s motivating and humbling at the same time.”

The team release said Junior, 41, is still being regularly evaluated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s sports concussion program.

Gordon and Bowman have filled in for Junior as he’s missed seven races, including Sunday’s race at Darlington. When you add in the rest of the season, Junior will have missed 18 of 36 races because of the concussion. Junior drove at Sonoma, Daytona and Kentucky after the Michigan crash and said he felt like he had a sinus infection at Kentucky.

The team said Gordon will fill in at Darlington and next week at Richmond. He’ll also drive at Dover (Oct. 2) and Martinsville (Oct. 30). Bowman will drive at Chicago, New Hampshire, Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.

Junior’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports runs through the 2017 season and he’s said he wants to continue his driving career past that point. Given what we do and don’t know about concussions, a slow-play in his recovery is the best option for both the near and long-term future. With basically nothing but race wins to go for in 2016, there’s no point in rushing Junior back.

Heck, even if the title was still in play there’s still no point in forcing an accelerated recovery timeline to get him back in the car. One of the things we do know about concussions is the devastating impact they can have on a person’s quality of life. And Junior’s quality of life for the next 50 years should be the most important thing.