Dale Earnhardt Jr.

What's with all the negativity in this thread? I understand that fans thinking they know more about the situation and that they are better qualified than individuals directly attached to the situation to speculate as to the correct path to a resolution but the negativity here makes everyone seem like a bunch of *removed insulting remarks*
 
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I think the recent events with Jr are all positive. I think its obvious he is not going to have a racing career like his father but his legacy could be even more important. What he is doing with driver safety, concussion awareness etc. could have lasting effects far greater than winning any race. In addition, the stable he is building with Jr Racing is formidable. With his experience, Jr could potentially surpass RH, JGR, Roush as the best owner of all time.
 
A few years ago Junior said he isn't supporting JRM with his own money.
How ever he can currently attract sponsors and do a commercial for them in exchange for them sponsoring his cars. Most of Juniors wealth ($300 M ) comes from his activities outside the car.
 
Matthew2470 said:
What's with all the negativity in this thread? I understand that fans thinking they know more about the situation and that they are better qualified than individuals directly attached to the situation to speculate as to the correct path to a resolution but the negativity here makes everyone seem like a bunch of *removed insulting remarks*.
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I have a bad cold.

Your interminably long run-on sentence ran out of steam at the halfway point.
 
look if he didn't intend to get back in the car and take the rest of the season off. I think they would actually say it. I also don't think they would hold everyone in suspense until today to tell people. I think its a good sign to me because it sounds like they at least were entertaining the idea of letting him back in the car or dale jr felt good enough that he might get cleared. if he felt terrible they would have already been preparing for it.
 
I think it is a good idea to leave the medical prognosis to the medical experts, and to leave assessments of Dale's wants and desires to Dale. JMO.
 
muggle not said:
If he does recuperate from this injury, the chances of him having another wreck and concussion are extremely high. I would simply hate to see him walking around and losing his memory and acting like a 12 year old. It just isn't worth the risk. He has too much to live for without going back to racing as a driver.
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^Exactly^ This is taking a lot longer than any of the other times a driver sat out after getting his bell rung that I can remember.
Concussions are cumulative, If he should have another, even a extremely minor one, the effects could be devastating.
 
I played football with a guy who suffered 9 different concussions. On the 9th one they told him he was one more big hit away from being permanently screwed up for life. I was also friends with a guy who wrestled, and he suffered one big hit and still suffers from chronic headaches to this day. In all honesty id be scared for Jr. To get back behind the wheel.


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On another train of thought, when I was playing football was when the xenith helmets that were designed to help with concussions were first coming out. Does anyone know if nascar helmets have been designed in a similar fashion?


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Biggreen695 said:
On another train of thought, when I was playing football was when the xenith helmets that were designed to help with concussions were first coming out. Does anyone know if nascar helmets have been designed in a similar fashion?


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If they are, they don't seem to be working. :)
 
sloggie said:
If you want to see how long it can take to recover, consider the NHL hockey player Mark Savard. Sustained a second concussion in 2011 and never recovered.
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Same with Chris Pronger, Brett Lindros and others. Dale Jr should hang it up and enjoy the rest of his days as each time your are concussed things get worse.
 
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Skoalbandit33 said:
Dale Jr should hang it up and enjoy the rest of his days as each time your are concussed things get worse.
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I also thought that was a medical fact, but a few weeks ago I saw a doctor on Race Hub (IIRC) who said there is no medical proof that things get worse. I don't know what is correct, just relaying what one doc said on TV. Dale's doctors are genuine concussion experts, so I believe he'll get the best available medical advice from his doctors.
 
After watching this I think it is time for Junior to "Walk Away" from driving.

We all think of the accidents but in reality his brain could sustain further damage just from high acceleration on a restart or deceleration entering the pits on a high speed track like Daytona.

Time to be an owner, commercial maker and husband, maybe even a father.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Exactly. The helmet can keep the skull from cracking, but the brain still goes sloshing around inside the cranial cavity --- there is wiggle room inside.
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Yep, some people have a size 2 brain in a size 8 container, lots of wiggle room.....
 
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Team Penske said:
A few years ago Junior said he isn't supporting JRM with his own money.
How ever he can currently attract sponsors and do a commercial for them in exchange for them sponsoring his cars. Most of Juniors wealth ($300 M ) comes from his activities outside the car.
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IMO ..the money made outside the car comes from the driver being inside the car. I would think that ( aside from Dale Sr and Richard Petty ) the income drys up in a hurry It 'd be interesting to hear from someone with inside info. Guys like Tony and Junior have a lot of rich buddies for sure and they likely have a couple of years before they start driving the pace car. :)
 
Kiante said:
I want Jr to keep driving, I want him to get a championship and then retire.

I hope he does IMHO, but I'm selfish when it comes to drivers.
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I really like Jr. but...... wake up and smell the coffee Bud..... Jr. ain't never gonna' win a Championship..... let him retire before he gets hurt really bad...... If I had his money.... there's no way I'd get back in that car....
 
kymartin6 said:
I really like Jr. but...... wake up and smell the coffee Bud..... Jr. ain't never gonna' win a Championship..... let him retire before he gets hurt really bad...... If I had his money.... there's no way I'd get back in that car....
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This. While Jr is my favorite driver its obvious he isn't even close. Like I've said, its time for Jr to focus on his business and other ways he can positively impact racing. I do think he will make he way back into the drivers seat but it will be short lived because of the lingering health issues.
 
ted@economy said:
IMO ..the money made outside the car comes from the driver being inside the car. I would think that ( aside from Dale Sr and Richard Petty ) the income drys up in a hurry It 'd be interesting to hear from someone with inside info. Guys like Tony and Junior have a lot of rich buddies for sure and they likely have a couple of years before they start driving the pace car. :)
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Dale Jr has banked plenty of income and in the same way that Dale Sr gear was still in the top 10 of best selling merchandise even ten years after he died, Jr will still be plenty marketable after he retires.

Junior's done. This whole deal of him posting his progress on instagram has people thinking he's getting back in the car, but he would be in recovery mode doing these things either way.

It's the best way he could retire. He's not going to win a championship. Going out after getting a ring would be ideal. But instead he strings the concussion story along, which naturally makes people sympathetic and concerned for his long-term health, and then in a few more weeks when he announces that he's going to run Martinsville as a farewell race and call it a career, it will be much easier to walk away. Let's be honest, he didn't have that much time left in Cup anyway.
 
LewTheShoe said:
I also thought that was a medical fact, but a few weeks ago I saw a doctor on Race Hub (IIRC) who said there is no medical proof that things get worse [from multiple concussions]. I don't know what is correct, just relaying what one doc said on TV. Dale's doctors are genuine concussion experts, so I believe he'll get the best available medical advice from his doctors.
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Sorry to quote myself, but I want to clarify this. The same doc was on Race Hub again Thursday, and I saw his comments via DVR on Friday. Among other comments, he said three things:

(1) There is no proof that getting concussed makes one more susceptible to getting concussed again, i.e. no proof that concussions "soften your head" and render you less able to take a given blow without injury.

(2) However, athletes who have concussions often do get concussed again simply because of what they do at work, they return to high risk behavior in their job like playing football or hockey or driving stock cars.

(3) There *is* strong evidence that the effect of multiple concussions accumulates, so getting the next one is likely to be *more* injurious than your prior one. This point is a subtle difference from point #1 above, and I had misunderstood the difference. This point would be the bad news for Junior's situation.

I am pretty shaken up by Junior's latest announcement, two more weeks, so that will be eight weeks (and counting) out of the car. And that wreck in Michigan that is said to be the cause of injury, that wreck didn't look like an extreme hit. Any Nascar driver would expect that he'd take another hit as bad or worse if he's driving Cup cars, IMO.

I'm not going to say what Junior "should do," because I don't have the expertise, only Dale and his doctors have that, but frankly it scares me.
 
I am afraid for Dale Jr and don't want him to get back in the car. I can't help feeling that way no matter what he or the experts say.:sad:
 
cheesepuffs said:
But instead he strings the concussion story along, which naturally makes people sympathetic and concerned for his long-term health, and then in a few more weeks when he announces that he's going to run Martinsville as a farewell race and call it a career, it will be much easier to walk away. Let's be honest, he didn't have that much time left in Cup anyway.
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This is rather cynical, Mr. Puffs.

He doesn't strike me as someone who thinks that way.
 
Wait so where is the "Dale Junior is faking it and resting up for the Chase" post
 
I would like to see Jr continue if he wants to, but he does seem to be having a lot harder time dealing with the results this time. To me unless the doctors can say that the next bad hit won't cause anything worse he should retire while he still can enjoy his life. He has the money, woman and popularity to make a good life for himself. Better to take the life that you can enjoy than taking a hit and wishing that he hadn't come back.
 
Him missing this much time is not good news and I think his condition is worse than he and the media is letting on. The last thing he probably wants is for his career to end like his dad's. I's time for him to hang up the helmet and pursue a career in team ownership and/or broadcasting. Pick a farewell race, drive it like you stole it, and call it a career. The sport will survive without him behind the wheel.
 
aunty dive said:
Another cynical swipe ... this time it's the car owner.

There must be something wrong with me ... I'm not a supporter of either of these people but I just don't see either of them being that shallow.
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Don't forget that there was a contingent that swore Rick Hendrick faked his leukemia. Grassy knolls abound.
 
aunty dive said:
Another cynical swipe ... this time it's the car owner.

There must be something wrong with me ... I'm not a supporter of either of these people but I just don't see either of them being that shallow.
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Shallow?? Ever see the videos Rick has made with his past drivers drooling all over how great a man he is? I don;t think there is another driver in Nascar that can demand the sponsor fees for Junior. Maybe Kyle could get there when Junior is gone.

For Junior it is just good business "not to officially" retire yet. He could get at least one more season of this "will he or not".
 
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