Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not considered retirement, ‘intends’ to return from concussion

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reiterated he wants to return to racing once he recovers from a concussion, though he doesn’t have a timeline when that may be, he said speaking to the media for the first time Friday since his diagnosis last month.

With fiancé Amy Reimann out of town, a bored and “super anxious” Earnhardt decided to make his first visit to a NASCAR track since last competing July 9 at Kentucky Motor Speedway. Going into detail about his recovery, NASCAR’s most popular figure spoke for nearly 30 minutes during the question-and-answer session.

“The point right now is to get healthy. To get right,” Earnhardt said at Watkins Glen International. “I’m not thinking about the what-ifs. We went into this with the intention of getting back into the car. I think that’s a possibility and so do my doctors. It’s frustrating that I’ve had to miss so many races.”

Earnhardt candidly said he wants to honor a contract with Hendrick Motorsports that runs through the 2017 season, then sign an extension with the team. The 41-year-old driver said he has not contemplated retirement, despite suffering a third diagnosed concussion in four years and fourth since 2002.

“Our intentions are to get (medically) cleared and get back to racing,” Earnhardt said. “My doctor thinks to get through the therapy and the symptoms you don’t need to be adding stress to your life because the stress will slow down the process.

“I’m not ready to stop racing; I’m not ready to quit.”

Earnhardt has missed the past three Sprint Cup races dealing with symptoms, including loss of balance and vision issues. Hendrick Motorsports announced on Tuesday Earnhardt will also sit out the next two events (Sunday at Watkins Glen and Aug. 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway).

Alex Bowman drove Earnhardt’s No. 88 car July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon has substituted since and will continue to fill in at Watkins Glen and Bristol.

“It’s frustrating that I’ve had to miss this many races,” Earnhardt said. “When we first went into the doctor’s office, we never anticipated being out this long. But, unfortunately, it’s a slower process.

“There are no guidelines or rulebook or consistent history on how long this takes to clear up. We’re just having to be patient. My doctors feel great about the opportunity that I will not only be healthy again, but they can make my brain stronger to make it withstand a common event.”

Earnhardt revealed on his weekly podcast Monday that doctors believe he suffered a concussion when he crashed during the June 12 race at Michigan International Speedway. It wasn’t until a few weeks later -- after a European vacation and racing in two Sprint Cup events -- that he began to feel ill, initially thinking he had allergies or a sinus infection. Earnhardt then sought medical consultation where he was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms.

Earnhardt has regularly visited the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program where’s he worked with a team of neurologists, who’ve maintained near daily communication with him.

As part of his recovery program, Earnhardt does mental and physical exercises upward of three hours per day and has been instructed to put himself in situations with noise that would stimulate his mind and trigger symptoms. So he goes to Hendrick Motorsports, JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Series team he co-owns, restaurants and other public places. He also visits his sister, Kelley, and her family.

“This situation, my doctor tells me, is good therapy to go somewhere that makes you feel worse,” Earnhardt said. “Go in there and get exposure and then get out and go somewhere where you can kind of get calmed back down and then repeat the process.

“I go to Kelley’s house and get in the living room with her kids; boy that drives up the symptoms pretty good. But, it’s been great to spend time with them. It’s unusual, the time that I’ve been able to spend with them since we’re not racing.”

Yet as much as he’s enjoying family time, Earnhardt is adamant about resuming his driving career -- a point he made several times on Friday. But when he can do so again is not known, with no timetable laid out.

Before that day can come, NASCAR requires Earnhardt to 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. He also must receive clearance by a certified neurologist who has spent at least five years treating sports-related head injuries

“It’s a slower process, I wish it wasn’t,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take.

“But, I’m not going to go in the car until the doctors clear me. The doctors won’t let me race. This is not my decision, but it’s the right decision and I trust what my doctors are telling me. When they say I’m good to go I believe them. If they say I’m healthy and I can race I’m going to race.”