Dale Earnhardt Jr.

DaleJr says he ran 15 laps at a time, would get evaluated, and then go 15 laps about 20 minutes later. Says he got stronger thru test.

The Darlington test lasted about 5 hours.

Dale Jr on test: "I felt throughout the day I got more & more comfortable in the car. It felt like an old shoe by the end of the day

Rick Hendrick: "I think Dale being back in the car & Jimmie's championship, it's going to be a real nice Christmas for all of us."

@bobpockrass

Dale Jr. says he wouldn’t be coming back if there was any risk other than the typical risk any other driver faces

@ClaireBLang
1m
"We still have a couple more months of my brain being able to sturdy itself up" @DaleJr who says he was fitted for a new helmet

The 'fitted' part is strictly about comfort and not additional protection. Joey Logano had the same thing done last season.

DaleJr said he will revisit contract talks before the 2017 season starts.

@ClaireBLang
58s

ALways love how honest @DaleJr is - you ask him a question you get a true heartfelt answer...#straightfoward

@tomjensen100
1m

I asked @DaleJr about risk and he said the doctors told him he's stronger than he was before injury.

@ClaireBLang
1m

Darlington u right rght on fence - so it (the test ) was a good challenge physically and mentally - says @DaleJr Nerves gone after 4 laps

Class act.....

@bobpockrass
1m

DaleJr said when Bowman won the pole, that he deserved to run "The Clash" with the team.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Since Dr. Collins and Dr. Petty are both nationally recognized physicians throughout the sports world as experts in neurological problems, I'll take their
opinions any day of the week. They are not just some private doctor. And Brad K's opinion goes about as far with me as I could throw him.
Click to expand...

So, in listening to the presser, the moderator asked Rick about resisting the temptation of searching for a doctor who would clear Junior in favor of giving Junior all of the time he needed to heal. I guess I am wondering if NASCAR's policy is a courtesy extended to drivers to be PC, or a mandate to keep only drivers who are fit to drive on the track. If NASCAR is committed to healthy drivers, then this "clearance" says something to me. As it sits, it lives as a doctor's opinion which can differ doctor to doctor. BTW, where did the concern go about repetitive head injuries? Isn't Junior still more vulnerable to a concussion because of his history? Doesn't this make his "clearance" even more of a concern when (not if) he hits the wall again? Where are the doctors on that? Why would you clear a guy who's next hit could be his last? This whole deal has more questions than answers and ultimately, it is Junior's decision. So, let's just keep it Junior's business IMO.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
DaleJr says he ran 15 laps at a time, would get evaluated, and then go 15 laps about 20 minutes later. Says he got stronger thru test.

The Darlington test lasted about 5 hours.

Dale Jr on test: "I felt throughout the day I got more & more comfortable in the car. It felt like an old shoe by the end of the day

Rick Hendrick: "I think Dale being back in the car & Jimmie's championship, it's going to be a real nice Christmas for all of us."

@bobpockrass

Dale Jr. says he wouldn’t be coming back if there was any risk other than the typical risk any other driver faces

@ClaireBLang
1m
"We still have a couple more months of my brain being able to sturdy itself up" @DaleJr who says he was fitted for a new helmet

The 'fitted' part is strictly about comfort and not additional protection. Joey Logano had the same thing done last season.

DaleJr said he will revisit contract talks before the 2017 season starts.

@ClaireBLang
58s

ALways love how honest @DaleJr is - you ask him a question you get a true heartfelt answer...#straightfoward

@tomjensen100
1m

I asked @DaleJr about risk and he said the doctors told him he's stronger than he was before injury.

@ClaireBLang
1m

Darlington u right rght on fence - so it (the test ) was a good challenge physically and mentally - says @DaleJr Nerves gone after 4 laps

Class act.....

@bobpockrass
1m

DaleJr said when Bowman won the pole, that he deserved to run "The Clash" with the team.
Click to expand...

become a dale fan through this. thanks for sharing @dpkimmel2001
 
Johnny G said:
I've been a fan of the sport since the early 90s and can admit that after Jr's season finished this past year i didn't watch a full race the rest of the way. I actually thought about how scary that must be for the France family as you said. When Dale finally ga n gs it up its gonna be very interesting to see how much it affects the sport, especially now that others like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are done as well.
Click to expand...

Monster Energy will get the credit. J/S...
 
junior-hero-2.jpg
 
I'm still not convinced he's gonna be back in a Cup car. The "we're gonna revaluate the contracts before the 2017 season" comment adds a feeling of mystery to me.
 
cheesepuffs said:
I'm still not convinced he's gonna be back in a Cup car. The "we're gonna revaluate the contracts before the 2017 season" comment adds a feeling of mystery to me.
Click to expand...

He probably doesn't want to make his return on a head banger like Daytona, scary scary.
 
sprinterv6 said:
What does stronger mean in the way it's was used?
Click to expand...
from his press conference on Dec 9th.....


WHAT HAVE THE DOCTORS TOLD YOU ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL CONCUSSIONS IF YOU ARE IN ANOTHER ACCIDENT? WILL THE EXERCISES YOU HAVE BEEN DOING AND ARE DOING HELP PREVENT THOSE?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: “Yeah, absolutely. I worked with Micky Collins and we worked not only to get healthy and back to being a normal human being again, but we worked to get stronger than we were before. 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. 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. We all feel pretty confident that not only am I as healthy as I was before the symptoms came last year, but I’m actually stronger. Having gone through this before also gives me additional confidence. This isn’t uncharted territory for me, so I know what I need to feel personally to know that I’m as strong as I need to be and healthy. I’m certainly feeling that way, but I’m also hearing the affirmation from my doctors that I can go back and drive racecars.”

Read the transcript in its entirety here.
 
aunty dive said:
You've been away ... presumably working on your neurology degree.
Click to expand...
It is interesting as it seems to be a common misconception that this is something that you can't recover from. There are examples of other athletes that have went through similar circumstances and have continued their career. Most notable, to me anyway, Sidney Crosby. He was also being treated here in the Pittsburgh area. I'm not positive but I think even by the same neurologist. The NHL is an extremely physical sport. Sid has taken his share of hits since returning and continues to thrive in the sport. It's not unheard of.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
It is interesting as it seems to be a common misconception that this is something that you can't recover from. There are examples of other athletes that have went through similar circumstances and have continued their career. Most notable, to me anyway, Sidney Crosby. He was also being treated here in the Pittsburgh area. I'm not positive but I think even by the same neurologist. The NHL is an extremely physical sport. Sid has taken his share of hits since returning and continues to thrive in the sport. It's not unheard of.
Click to expand...

Sid is also only 29. Junior is 41. Ask any athlete if it gets easier or harder to heal as they get older, and also consider that ole June is heading into the sunset of his career anyway, so why risk anything worse happening for maybe just a couple more seasons. Crosby also didn't lose his father to injury in the very sport that he makes a living in. There are so many more factors than "Sidney Crosby has been concussed and still plays hockey". I get your point, but that's just one aspect of a larger situation at hand.
 
cheesepuffs said:
Sid is also only 29. Junior is 41. Ask any athlete if it gets easier or harder to heal as they get older, and also consider that ole June is heading into the sunset of his career anyway, so why risk anything worse happening for maybe just a couple more seasons. Crosby also didn't lose his father to injury in the very sport that he makes a living in. There are so many more factors than "Sidney Crosby has been concussed and still plays hockey". I get your point, but that's just one aspect of a larger situation at hand.
Click to expand...
Bottom line. He's his own man. He has doctor's that specialize in his area of need that he trusts. I'm sure he's weighed all the factors. He's made decisions on the information he's been provided by people that actually know what they are talking about. He wants to race. Good luck too him. I know I'll be rooting for him.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Previously unreleased photo of Dale Jr. undergoing NASCAR's stringent concussion protocol testing leading to his ultimate reinstatement into the sport.


CPIuVUoUAAE50eu.jpg
Click to expand...

Those things might have been the actual cause of the concussion. No Hans device in the bumper car!
 
I love it! He should roll off pit road like that the first time back!!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pat
I was listening to NASCAR SiriusXm this morning. Chocolate Myers was on talking about Jr's wedding. He said Jr didn't invite anyone based on status. Everyone there was a close friend of his or Amy's. The only name he dropped I thought was pretty cool. Chocolate said that when Jr was a kid on the garage, he always loved Jimmy Means. Chocolate said it was pretty cool to see Means there last night. I think it's pretty cool too. That just shows what kind of guy Jr is.

Chocolate also said his wedding gift is going to be an evening of racing stories and chicken soup cooked in the same pot they made soup in back in the old #3 shop back in the day. I'd sure like to be there for that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom