Earnhardt Jr. said lingering symptoms kept him from racing

Although he will not be in a race auto at Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr., took time to address his health issues after it was ruled he would miss the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR season after doctors ruled him “not cleared to compete” following a July concussion.

But being on the outside looking in has become the norm for Earnhardt. The June 12 wreck at Michigan International Speedway didn’t appear so violent that it should cause a concussion.

Dr. Collins said the removal of the stress of worrying about when and if he would return to the track this season – actually made August 24 – has already accelerated Earnhardt’s recovery.

Earnhardt has not raced since Kentucky, missing the past five races. Can he race again?

Dr. Micky Collins, the medical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Concussion Program, joined Earnhardt for the news conference, along with vehicle owner Rick Hendrick. “The gains that I’ve felt is giving me confidence that we’re going in the right direction”. “I’m very confident we are moving in the right direction”. Collins made the decision in conjunction with Dr.

Following the announcement that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. When he began to feel ill in the weeks following the MI crash, he again sought out Dr. Collins.

Earnhardt’s symptoms of headaches and nausea, while serious, seem minor to the brain injuries that Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip says he endured during the beginning of the 1983 season.

So is Hendrick, who anticipates Earnhardt to return next season.

Retirement “is not something I think about”, Earnhardt said Sunday (via ESPN) at Darlington Raceway, where veteran Jeff Gordon drove the No. 88 vehicle to a 14th-place finish.

Earnhardt said his improvement has meant he can get out of the house more, although it is still stressful for him.

“I was very ill and it was hard to enjoy even the simplest activities”, Earnhardt said.

“I haven’t put a lot of thought into the future until I get well”.

“I went through this process in 2012”. “My heart wants me to continue and be working with the guys I got”.

Collins treated Earnhardt in 2012 when he missed two races because of two concussions in six weeks.

“When I first saw Dale a month-and-a-half ago I can tell you he was pretty sick”, he said. “I’ve got some good years left”.

“To me, that’s the number one goal is to get Dale feeling normal as a human being”.

“I definitely don’t belong in a race vehicle today by any stretch of the imagination”, Earnhardt admitted.

As for Earnhardt, he had this to say when queried about the possibility of retirement.

Earnhardt said he is targeting a return for the start of the 2017 season, which begins with the Daytona 500 on February 26.

But trying to prove something isn’t why he races.

“I have a passion and desire to drive and I enjoy it”. It’s not something that I think about.

Team owner Rick Hendrick sounded confident, too. If my doctor says that I’m physically able to continue, then that’s an easier decision for me to make.

There’s also the matter of having faith in Dr. Collins and his team at UPMC, as well as Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr.

Earnhardt credits his fiancé Amy Reimann with helping him and is optimistic for the future. “I definitely don’t belong in a race auto today by any stretch of the imagination”. We got well and I had some of the greatest years and racing experiences of my career shortly after that. “He’s telling me this is possible again, and I believe it”. “Stress and concussion don’t get along well and we see stress can really exacerbate and worsen things”.