NASCAR’s most popular driver will be back in the race car for the sport’s biggest race this coming season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been medically cleared to return to Cup Series competition for the 2017 season, beginning with the 2017 Daytona 500. This follows a test session at Darlington Raceway and being cleared by Dr. Mickey Collins, medical director of the Sports Medicine Concussion Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty, who was in attendance for the test session.
“Dale is one of the hardest-working patients I’ve ever encountered,” Collins said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked, and we believe he is ready to compete at a professional level again and can withstand the normal forces of a race car driver. Dale has been very open with us, and we’ve had plenty of time for his treatment, so we feel very good about his long-term prospects and how this has been managed by everyone involved.”
Earnhardt logged 185 laps over the course of five hours under the supervision of NASCAR.
“I feel great, and I’m excited to officially be back,” Earnhardt said. “I expected things to go really well yesterday, and that’s exactly what happened. Actually getting in a race car was an important final step, and it gives me a ton of confidence going into 2017. Thanks to the staff at Darlington for hosting our team and to NASCAR for giving us the opportunity to put a car on the track. I’ll do more testing in January to help knock the rust off. When it’s time to go to Daytona, I’ll be ready.”
Earnhardt is also eligible to run The Clash being a former winner of the event. But Alex Bowman, who won a pole last season driving in relief for Earnhardt, will drive the 88 car in The Clash.
The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet has been out of the car since July of 2016 following the Cup race at Kentucky Speedway. He was diagnosed with symptoms of a concussion that stemmed from a wreck involving himself and Chris Buescher at Michigan International Speedway a few weeks earlier. It was compounded after he was caught up in a multi-car wreck at Daytona International Speedway two weeks prior.
He gave way the final 18 races of the season to Bowman, who drove the car for 10 races, and Jeff Gordon, who drove it for eight. Bowman drove the 88 car to a pole start and three top-10 finishes. His best run came at Phoenix International Raceway where he scored the aforementioned pole, led a race high 194 laps and finished a career-best sixth. Gordon wasn’t as spectacular, finishing in the top-10 only twice, best being sixth at Martinsville Speedway.
