Drivers laud Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s ‘tough decision’ to sit out

Like many, Ryan Newman was stunned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. disclosing Thursday he was suffering from concussion-like symptoms and would miss Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

What surprised Newman is that he had been texting with Earnhardt earlier this week, offering him tips on different honey to try to counteract the headaches and pressure Earnhardt was feeling in his head. Earnhardt thought they were brought on by either a sinus infection or allergies.

A visit to the doctor on Tuesday, however, revealed a more serious diagnosis, and Earnhardt’s return to racing is on hold indefinitely.

“Here I go talking to a guy about trying different honey and he is out of the race car the next week,” Newman said Friday. “I don’t have a lot of knowledge to elaborate on, but I think with his past he is the most experienced driver with respect to concussions and concussion symptoms and things like that.

“He had to make a decision for himself and for his family that was probably the right decision. The race track will be here the next time.”

Earnhardt has a history of concussions, suffering one in 2002 and two within a six-week span in 2012, which caused him to miss two races. Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt would not confirm to reporters Friday if Earnhardt had in fact been diagnosed with a concussion.

That Earnhardt sought additional medical advice and willingly pulled himself out of the car on his own volition earned admiration from fellow drivers. Newman, Carl Edwards and defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch were among those praising Earnhardt, who is on the bubble to qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs. He is 32 points ahead of the current cutoff with eight regular season races remaining.

“For him to step out of the race car, it must be something serious,” Edwards said. “I hope he recovers quickly and second, I have a lot of respect for making the decision. I can’t imagine how tough that decision would be.”

Said Busch: “I commend him for taking action and feeling what he was feeling and being able to go to the doctors and explaining that and for them to say he needed to sit out a week or two or however many it may be what’s best for him.”

NASCAR has placed Earnhardt in its concussion protocol program. Before the 41-year-old driver is medically cleared to return he first must pass a neurological ImPACT test that gauges Earnhardt’s reflexes, memory, attention span and other functions, then compares the results to a test he completed when 100 percent healthy.

If a certified neurologist who has spent at least five years treating sports-related head injuries deems Earnhardt fit, he could return as soon as next week’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If he does not pass, Earnhardt will remain sidelined.

“What’s best for him is his health,” Busch said. “It’s a tough situation to be in as a race car driver. I’ve never been in that situation where I have felt something within my head. ... Thankfully I haven’t had that and hopefully I don’t have to deal with that.”