Dale Earnhardt Jr. will apparently not be returning to NASCAR in the immediate future because his concussion-like symptoms — specifically, a problem with his vision — have not yet resolved themselves.
“I’d love to race more,” Earnhardt told The Dale Jr. Download in a 58-minute podcast episode as reported by USA Today. “In my mind, my plan is to race more. I have plans to keep going. I’ll worry about that when I’m well. My doctors are confident they can make me stronger than I was before this event.”
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Earnhardt initially mentioned crashes at Michigan International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway when it was announced that he would miss races because of concussion-like symptoms. Alex Bowman drove for him at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, then Jeff Gordon filled in for the last two races, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway.
In the podcast, he says his doctors confirmed that his problems started with a crash in that June race, though he did not have any symptoms at the time. His symptoms are different than ones he's had in the past, he said, adding that he began to have problems with his “gaze stability” and his balance. Before those symptoms arose, he took a vacation to Germany and drove in some races, the USA Today report points out.
Earnhardt says he has difficulty focusing on objects far away when he moves his head, a troubling problem for a professional racer.
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“This is scary for me because of the way it’s been different,” he said. “I’m having balance issues; I’ve never had balance issues before. The eye issues with the stability — I’ve never had that before. It didn’t begin at the event; it started weeks later and came on very slowly, very gradually and continued to progress until it sort of stopped and stayed where it is.
“I don’t know what that tells me about how long this process is going to be. I felt like I had a good understanding of dealing with concussions in the past, but this is certainly a new one.”
Earnhardt continues to give updates on his condition, via his podcast and his social media accounts, because wants to be as transparent as possible. His situation is unique and he understands that no one can detect any of his symptoms or anything different by talking to him.
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“It worries me people don’t know what I’m going through and dealing with,” he said. “I want them to know why I can’t drive and why I can’t race. You feel pretty helpless … it’s not a good feeling.”
In sharing his situation with others, he might can help them too.
“I wouldn’t be (so transparent) if I was 25 years old just getting going and thinking about how I want to race for another 20 years,” he said. “… I’d be frightened to death at 25 years old going through this. At 41, I think it’s important for me and my peace of mind — and it might help somebody.”