Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his Hendrick Motorsports team are focusing on the driver's health and recovery from concussion-like symptoms.
Making the Chase for the Sprint Cup is taking a backseat to a more important issue. Speaking on a podcast Sunday night, Earnhardt noted his priority.
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"I put my health and quality of life as a top priority and I'll always do that," he said on the podcast. "I'm going to take this slow and follow the advice of my doctors and try to learn as much as I can to be smarter and wiser. I miss everybody [at the track]; I really appreciate all the support I've got. It's really unnecessary, but it really makes my heart feel good."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. with team owner Rick Hendrick (Getty Images)
Earnhardt missed Sunday's race at New Hampshire, with Alex Bowman driving the car. There is no timetable for Junior's return, though Hendrick Motorsports said that if Earnhardt was unable to return for this weekend's race at Indianapolis, Jeff Gordon would be in the car.
UPDATE: Gordon will replace Earnhardt for the July 24 race at Indianapolis and on July 31 at Pocono. Hendrick Motorsports made the announcement as Earnhardt continues to have concussion-like symptoms.
Earnhardt could remain eligible for the championship Chase. He could apply for and potentially get an exception from the NASCAR rule requiring drivers to attempt every race to be Chase eligible.
Kyle Busch was given an exception after missing 11 races with a broken leg last year, and won the 2015 championship. Tony Stewart might be in this season's Chase after also getting an exception after missing eight races as he healed from a broken back. Stewart won at Sonoma last month and is in the top 30 in points, making him Chase eligible if he maintains that standing.
If Earnhardt were granted an exception and returned before the Chase, he would need to win a race and remain in the top 30 in the standings to make the Chase field. Earnhardt has not won this season.
Hendrick said on Sunday that the team hasn't applied for a waiver yet. "I haven't even thought about a waiver or any of that, right now," he said.
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Earnhardt has made the Chase seven times, including the past five seasons. He finished 12th in the standings last season.
Despite missing Sunday's race, Earnhardt remains in contention. He was 32 points ahead of 16th-place Trevor Bayne — the first driver outside the Chase cutoff — entering last week's race at New Hampshire. Earnhardt now is 14 points ahead of Bayne.
That is the final position in the Chase field, which will be set after the 26th race, Sept. 10 at Richmond International Raceway.
Eleven drivers have won this season, locking them into the 16-driver field with seven races remaining before the Chase. If there's not 16 different winners, the rest of the Chase field will be based on points.
Earnhardt missed two races during the 2012 Chase because of concussion-like symptoms. He was seventh in the standings entering the race at Talladega Superspeedway in October, his last before stepping out of his car. He left that race 11th in the standings. Although he finished in the top 10 twice after his return for the final four Chase races, he finished 12th in the final standings.
Team owner Rick Hendrick made it clear on Sunday at New Hampshire that the team wants to be patient and not rush Earnhardt back into racing.
"Dale is special to me when you take the driving part away and I just want him to feel good when he gets back in the car," he said. "I don't want him to push himself. He's kind of an 'Ironman'; he doesn't want to let the team down and doesn't want to let his fans down. We need him for the long pull. He wants to be in the car. The best thing the doctors can do is to go through all the protocol and then do all the tests. And there's a bunch of tests you do. So, when they say you're good to go, then he'll be back."