Dale Earnhardt Jr. will remain sidelined for the next two Sprint Cup races as he continues to recover from a concussion, Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains sidelined for next 2 NASCAR races due to concussion symptoms
Earnhardt will miss races at Michigan and Darlington; Alex Bowman and Jeff Gordon to substitute.
Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Earnhardt will miss this weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway and Sept. 4 at Darlington Raceway. Hendrick named Alex Bowman to fill in at Michigan, with Jeff Gordon substituting at Darlington.
Earnhardt has not raced since July 9 after removing himself from the car due to concussion-like symptoms, missing five events so far. Doctors later determined NASCAR’s most popular driver suffered a concussion, his third in four years, in a crash during the June 12 race at Michigan.
During his absence, Earnhardt has been undergoing regular evaluations at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Doctors will need to medically clear Earnhardt before he can return.
“We know how hard Dale is working to get back,” team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. “He’s following what the doctors are saying, to the letter, and doing exactly what he needs to do. Everyone wants to see him in a race car, but his health is first and foremost. We’re behind him.”
Bowman finished 26th driving for Earnhardt July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while Gordon handled the subsequent four races with a best result of 11th last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion who came out of retirement, is unable to race Sunday at Michigan due to a previous commitment. His seven Darlington wins is most among active drivers.
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