Dale Earnhardt Jr. says return from concussion symptoms may take longer

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reiterated patience is needed as he recovers from concussion-like symptoms and that he is unsure when he may return, in an update given Monday on his weekly podcast on Dirty Mo Radio.

“This process is going to take a little bit longer,” Earnhardt said on The Dale Jr. Download Podcast. ”... I’m not going to go against (the doctor’s) advice, no matter what. I can’t play around at this age and with my history. I definitely don’t need to get cute.

“I’ve been working on the exercises, physical and mental exercises that they gave me. That stuff takes about two hours, two and a half hours. I’ve got to do it every day. There’s worse things to have to do. Some of it is tedious. Some of it is pretty tough. Some of the visual stuff is pretty tough.”

Earnhardt missed the past two races and will also sit out Sunday’s event at Pocono Raceway as he deals with symptoms that include loss of balance and nausea. Alex Bowman drove July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with Gordon filling in last Sunday at Indianapolis and again at Pocono.

Earnhardt has a history of head injuries, sustaining a concussion in 2002 and then two within a six-week period in 2012 which sidelined him for two races. NASCAR’s most popular driver said he will have an examination “soon” that will determine his availability for the Aug. 7 Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International, a road course in Upstate New York.

“You can race with some ailments,” Earnhardt said. “You can race with a bad wrist; we’ve seen Denny (Hamlin) and guys race with bad knees. There’s been some guys that have done some pretty incredible things -- I’ve raced with a broken shoulder blade. There’s certain things you can race through, but one of the things you cannot race through is concussion-like symptoms. The balance deal is a critical part of being able to drive a race car.”

Earnhardt thanked Gordon for coming out of retirement to drive the No. 88 car. Gordon dealt with sweltering conditions to finish 13th at Indianapolis, his first race since the 2015 season finale last November.

The 41-yer-old Earnhardt implored his legion of fans to thank Gordon, who had been on a family vacation in the South of France, for helping out in extenuating circumstances.

“Make sure you send Jeff Gordon a special thanks,” Earnhardt said. “I’m not sure I would have made the decision he made to leave an awesome vacation with his family. Make sure you guys send special thanks to Jeff, my crew went through all that heat, as well. Keep sending them good vibes.

“When we get back together, it’s going to be on.”

During his absence, Earnhardt has regularly remained in communication with crew chief Greg Ives. He’s also compared notes with Bowman and Gordon about their experiences driving the No. 88 car.

“Jeff had a lot of great ideas and thoughts about the team,” Earnhardt said. “I think another week with those guys at Pocono will be interesting. I can’t wait to keep talking to him and debriefing with him throughout the week on what he thinks about the team, what he thinks I can do better and how the team can get better. It’s awesome having a guy with his experience step in.”