Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports to begin contract extension talks

A healthy Dale Earnhardt Jr. will soon begin talks with team owner Rick Hendrick regarding a contract extension, NASCAR’s most popular driver said Friday.

Earnhardt was medically cleared to return from a concussion Wednesday after missing the entire second half of the 2016 season. He will be back behind the wheel of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 car full-time beginning with the 2017 season-opening Daytona 500 in February before his contract is set to expire at the end of the 36-race season.

Earnhardt joined Hendrick in 2008. In his time with NASCAR’s most successful organization, the 42-year-old Earnhardt has nine wins and earned a Chase playoff berth six times.

“We’ll probably revisit that before the season starts,” Earnhardt said in a teleconference with reporters. “I’ve told you guys that before we got sick, me and Rick had been sitting down and talking about our future and the extension and what we wanted to do, and all that stuff was starting to come together.

“We’re going to revisit that here shortly. That’s definitely something on our list to get done.”

Earnhardt suffered a concussion after crashing in a race at Michigan International Speedway in June. The symptoms didn’t manifest until a few weeks later, at which time he sought medical consultation and then removed himself from the car following the July 9 race at Kentucky Speedway. He missed 18 races while sidelined.

Doctors later determined Earnhardt had sustained his third concussion in four years and the fifth of his NASCAR career.

To receive medical clearance, Earnhardt took part in a supervised test Wednesday at Darlington Raceway. Among those in attendance were members of Earnhardt’s Hendrick team, NASCAR officials, and Charlotte, N.C., neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty, who consulted with Earnhardt’s regular doctor Dr. Micky Collins, the medical director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program in Pittsburgh.

The test was set up where Earnhardt would run 15- to 30-lap segments then undergo an evaluation. Altogether the test spanned five hours, with Earnhardt completing 185 laps around the 1.3-mile oval track.

“(The test) really helps build your confidence to know that everything is working like it’s supposed to work, no matter what your injury it before you go get back into a full race weekend,” Earnhardt said. “It’s nice to be able to kind of get some personal reassurance and confidence.”

After the test was completed Petty consulted with Collins, who cleared Earnhardt on Wednesday night.

“A lot of the things that he was checking, visual and balance and so forth, actually strengthened throughout the process,” Earnhardt said. “You sort of get acclimated and up to speed with what it takes to kind of drive a race car and those systems strengthen through that process.”

As he prepares to marry fiancé Amy Reimann on New Year’s Eve, Earnhardt said he wanted to “check the final box” to be approved to race to prove him some “peace of mind.” He will also participate in an open-test next month at Phoenix International Raceway.

“I needed that personally for personal reassurance for myself,” Earnhardt said. ”... In the back of my mind, I haven’t been in a race car yet and what’s that going to be like. Now I’ve got that box checked. Personally I can go forward with a clear mind and peace of mind that I am ready to go.

“That test did more for me than anyone else.”

Going forward, Earnhardt said he’s not concerned with suffering another concussion. Other than a new helmet that fits a little snugger, Earnhardt will not be making any modifications to better protect himself.

Earnhardt said he will not be subject to increased medical scrutiny if he’s involved in another accident.

“I wouldn’t be coming back to the seat and wanting to drive and excited about driving cars if there was any risk, other than the typical risk that every driver faces on Sunday,” Earnhardt said.

“I feel very confident in what I’ve seen in myself and my improvement and I feel confident in what my doctors are telling me about my future and the risks that I’m taking and my ability to be able to withstand the normal wear and tear of not only driving a race, but getting in that unfortunate accident from time to time.”