Dale Earnhardt Jr. Cleared to Race at Martinsville
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who missed the last two races in Charlotte and Kansas due to a concussion, will be back behind the wheel of the #88 Chevrolet this Sunday in Martinsville.
Earnhardt received the concussion in a multi-car crash on the last lap of the Talladega race on October 7. He began having constant headaches and was officially parked on October 11. Regan Smith took over for Earnhardt and came in 38th in Charlotte and took an impressive seventh-place finish in Kansas this past weekend.
Dr. Jerry Petty, the neurosurgeon who evaluated Earnhardt, made this statement in a press release:
"Dale Jr. has done everything asked of him. He hasn't had a headache since October 12, and we have not been able to provoke any symptoms since that time. I have informed NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports that he is medically cleared for all NASCAR-related activity.''
Although Earnhardt is returning to racing, his hopes of winning the championship are all but gone, as he is currently 122 points behind leader Brad Keselowski with only four races to go.