Dale Earnhardt Jr. To Miss New Hampshire Race With Concussion Symptoms

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing concussion-like symptoms, his team announced Thursday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. To Miss New Hampshire Race With Concussion Symptoms

Alex Bowman will replace Earnhardt in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet in the New Hampshire 301, and the team said it does not know when Earnhardt will return to the car.

In a statement, Earnhardt said he did not feel well before Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. The 41-year-old driver believed he was suffering from severe allergies, and was evaluated by doctors this week in Charlotte. He was not cleared to race.

“I saw a family doctor and was given medication for allergies and a sinus infection,” said Earnhardt. “When that didn’t help, I decided to dig a little deeper. Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out.

“I’m disappointed about missing New Hampshire this weekend. I’m looking forward to treatment with the goal of getting back in the race car when the doctors say I’m ready.”

Earnhardt’s absence will not help his chances to make the 16-car field for the Chase. He is No. 13 in the standings with with zero wins following a 13th-place finish in Kentucky. The New Hampshire 301 is the first of the eight remaining pre-Chase races.

Hendrick Motorsports will provide an update next week on Earnhardt’s status for the July 24 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Earlier this year, Earnhardt announced that he had decided to donate his brain for scientific and medical research. He stated he made the decision after hearing about professional football players making the same choice because concussions and other head injuries have been a significant problem in the NFL.

The driver suffered two concussions while racing four years ago and thus missed two races.

He did not race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway in the fall of 2012 after being involved in a huge crash at Talladega Superspeedway on the race’s final lap.

Earnhardt admitted that he had had issues after an Aug. 29 crash during a tire test at Kansas Speedway that season. A concussion caused by that crash was diagnosed later.

Before the 2014 season, NASCAR instituted neurocognitive tests for all drivers in its three national series, partly due to concussion issues. The tests measure visual memory, verbal memory, processing speed and reaction time and set baselines in each area.

Two doctors with experience in treating sports-related concussions say the severity and number of concussions are key factors when they decide to recommend that an injured athlete retire. Neither doctor has treated Earnhardt.

“You typically look at the age, the concussion history and the type of activity they’re doing,” Luga Podesta, director of sports medicine at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., told USA TODAY Sports. “If they’re starting to come in with multiple concussions in a year or over several years, you start to look at them maybe doing something else before they cause more damage.”

If Earnhardt– who is winless this year– returns to the car, he would need a win, a spot in the top 30 in points and a medical waiver from NASCAR to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup or to qualify on points.

“I’m proud of Dale for standing up,” Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a statement. “The number one priority is his health, so we’re going to give him all the time he needs. We completely support the decision by the doctors and will be ready to go win races when he’s 100 percent. In the meantime, we have full confidence in Greg (crew chief Greg Ives) and the team, and we know they’ll do a great job.”

Bowman, 23, drives part-time in the Xfinity Series in Chevrolets owned by Earnhardt’s team, JR Motorsports.

AVONDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 15:  Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 15, 2015 in Avondale, Arizona.  (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)