[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”303″][/media-credit]Last weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that he will miss at least the next two races as a result of two concussions suffered in the past couple of weeks. He wasn’t forced by NASCAR to admit it, could have hid it and kept going racing. However, he made the decision to a neurologist and look into it. It now has some begging the question as to whether it is a time for a policy change.

Earnhardt Jr. said he suffered the first concussion about five weeks ago while testing at Kansas Speedway.

“We blew a right front tire going into Turn One, and I remember everything about that accident and everything after that accident, but I knew that I didn’t feel right,” he said last week. “You know your body, and you know how your mind works, and I knew something was just not quite right. But I decided to just try to push through and work through it.  I’d had concussions before and knew exactly kind of what I was dealing with.”

By the time the Chase started, he says he felt about 80, 90 percent, and by the time they got to Talladega, he felt 100 percent.

At Talladega, Earnhardt Jr. was one of 24 drivers caught up in the big wreck on the last lap.

“I was hit in the left rear quarter panel, and it was sort of an odd kind of a collision where the car spun around really quick and just sort of disoriented me,” he said. “I knew that I had sort of regressed and had a bit of a setback and knew again, you know how your body is and you know when something is not quite right, and I knew as soon as it happened that I had reinjured myself, for lack of a better way to describe it.”

Earnhardt said the incident caused him concern and on Wednesday, while still having some headaches, he contacted his sister and then contacted Dr. Jerry Perry, NASCAR’s neurologist consultant. They ran some tests, did an MRI and everything came back fine.

“But I was really honest with him about how I felt and honest with him about the whole process from Kansas all the way on,” Earnhardt Jr. added.

As a result, Dr. Jerry Petty made the decision for Earnhardt Jr. to sit out the next couple of weeks at least to let him heal.

If Earnhardt Jr. had not stepped forward and said something, he would have been driving at Charlotte and with having two back-to-back concussions, another hit while healing could have resulted in serious permanent damage. With the danger being there of something possibly happening, should NASCAR step it up?

To add, this is the second incident in a span of 10 years where Earnhardt Jr. has hidden a concussion from NASCAR and revealed it at a later date. Following a wreck in April of 2002 at Auto Club Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion, though did not reveal it till October later in the year.

As a result of that incident, NASCAR strengthened their commitment, saying doctors at infield care centers could require drivers to undergo CT scans or MRIs if they suspected a concussion. If diagnosed, they would then not be cleared to race till they got a medical release. However, Earnhardt Jr. was only checked out by ambulance staff and not by care center staff. Should NASCAR adopt a traveling medical team to prevent future instances?

Steve O’ Donnell, Vice President of Racing Operations, said that Earnhardt Jr. was seen in the ambulance at Kansas and was cleared. O’Donnell said he spoke with Pat Warren, who was at the track, and by Warren’s stance, everything was fine at Earnhardt Jr.’s end.

“So that’s where I would say the process of an evaluation for any athlete or driver it’s not just NASCAR making the call,” O’Donnell added. “It has to be the driver as well letting us know how he’s feeling.”

Though can they really depend on trusting drivers that don’t want to give up the seat? Go back to 2002 when Earnhardt Jr. hid the concussion. When he revealed it in October, he said that he didn’t reveal it because it would open him up for questions in the future.

“You just start back at zero,” Earnhardt Jr. said in 2002. “People are going ‘Oh, he’s finished, he’ll never be the same.’ And every time you run bad it’s because of that reason, it’s because of your head. So I just didn’t say a thing.”

What if that fear plays in a driver’s mind as well as the fear of giving up their ride? What if for that reason they hide the concussion? A driver’s worst fear is giving up “their” car to another driver. What if they don’t get their seat back due to questions of this nature as Earnhardt Jr. discussed and they are left without a ride?

Also, what if Dale Earnhardt Jr. had been the championship points leader? Or within 20, 30 points of the leader? That would’ve played into the decision and maybe kept him from saying something.

Both Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski said that they wouldn’t had gone to a doctor if they had a chance to win the championship.

“Honestly, I hate to say this, but no — I wouldn’t,” Gordon said. “We all play a part in this. If I have a shot at the championship and there’s two races to go, and my head is hurting and I just came through a wreck and I’m feeling signs of it but I’m still leading the points or am second in points, I’m not going to say anything. I’m sorry. That’s the competitor in me and probably many other guys, and that’s to a fault. It’s not the way it should be, but it is something most of us would do. That’s what gets a lot of us in trouble.”

“For any race car driver, not being in the car is our worst fear, the nightmare you have,” Keselowski said. “It’s a competitive desire that you have, so missing the show is terrible.”

Robin Pemberton, VP of Competition, spoke of NASCAR’s commitment last Thursday, praising everyone for learning more about head injuries over the recent years.

“It’s like anything,” Pemberton told ESPN.com. “We get better as time goes on. You learn from things and you work on it and you make things better. That’s what we do.”

Though have they done enough? Could they do more for their drivers’ safety? Dr. Vinay Deshmukh, a neurological consultant for NASCAR, says that the events last Thursday will go a long way in promoting awareness.

In that awareness, the questions asked here will be brought up. In the coming weeks and months, no matter the length of time it takes Earnhardt Jr. to heal, it will be up to NASCAR to address and possibly look into some of these questions to improve safety.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Real racing resumed this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the crash fest last week at Talladega.  Clint Bowyer saved enough fuel over the final 56 laps to win Saturday nights NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500.

Bowyer led three times for 29 laps of 334 in route to his third win of the season and the first in the chase.

“Just very proud of these guys, very proud of everybody.  We’ve had cars all year long capable of winning and to be able to win three times for me and everybody’s led laps and we’ve just had a great year.  Thank you to Michael (Waltrip, co-owner) and Rob Kauffman (co-owner) for taking a chance on me.  Man, I love these guys.” Bowyer said.

Bowyer moves up one position to fourth in the standings, 28 points out.

“Realistically, we’re still in the thing.  We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.” Bowyer said.

Denny Hamlin finished second and remains third in the standings, 15 points out.

“It’s finally good to have a fuel mileage race somewhat go our way.  We’ve been struggling with these things in the past, so it teaches you you’ve got to be prepared for these because they seem happy more often than not.” Hamlin said.

Jimmie Johnson finished third and is now just 7 points out of the lead, cutting the lead in half.

“We’re still not the best car out there at it, but we’re making it work week-in and week-out. It’s part of the game right now for whatever reason. Happy to have this MyLowes car third, and glad to gain some on the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) car.  We’ll go to the next one. This thing is still wide open for anybody.” Johnson said.

Greg Biffle finished fourth and moves up three positions in the standings to sixth, 43 points out.

“The 3M Ford Fusion, a top-five finish, we finished fourth here in the spring in the 600, but I just want to win one of these races.  We had the fastest car at the end, but couldn’t make it on fuel.” Biffle said.

Kasey Kahne finished 8^th and Martin Truex Jr. finished 10^th.

Points leader Brad Keselowski, who ran out of fuel before his final pit stop, finished 11th and now holds a 7 point advantage over Johnson.

“Yeah, it’s like playing blackjack.  Sometimes you’re going to get a good deal but you’re not going to win ‘em all.  You know that.  You hope that you’re sitting there with 13 and not have a lot of chips in the pile.  We didn’t.  We didn’t lose too much.  We got 11th out of the day where everything kind of fell against us from cautions at the beginning to lack of ‘em at the end.  We still put out a respectable effort.” Keselowski said.

Tony Stewart finished 13^th, Matt Kenseth 14^th, Kevin Harvick 16^th, Jeff Gordon 18^th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. DNS.

Official Chase Standings/Stats
After race 5 of 10
Bank of America 500, Charlotte
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/chase.php

*Note: These stats consist of only the final 10 chase races.
(http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/chase.php)

Biggest loser(s) after race 5: Jeff Gordon.  The 18^th place finish drops him another 8 points behind to 50 points out, any hope of getting the 2012 title is over.

Biggest gainer after race 5: Clint Bowyer.  Bowyer came into Charlotte 40 points out of the lead and comes out just 28 points out of the lead, adding a possible 4^th man eligible for the title.

Biggest movers after race 5 (+/-): Clint Bowyer

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The fall race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been regarded as somewhat of a home coming event. That’s because the vast majority of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race teams are headquartered in the Charlotte-North Carolina area. This race allows all members of the teams to attend and cheer for their driver. Team members who work long hours in these race shops never get the chance to travel to a race. Last Saturday night they proudly packed the speedway’s pit road to beyond capacity prior to the start of the Bank of America 500.

However Home Coming 2012 at Charlotte was rather fuelish. The outcome of the race was once again determined by who had enough fuel to make it to the end and who had to come down pit road for a splash of gas.

Oh yeah, NASCAR’s most popular driver stayed home and didn’t participate in this event for a very good reason.

With all of that in mind, let’s begin this week with:

HOORAH. Clint Bowyer had just enough fuel in the tank of his Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota to make it to the checkers for this third win of the season. That win also moved him to fourth in the championship standings and only 28 points from the top.

WAZZUP. For the third time this season, Bowyer arrived at victory lane without his car which was pushed to the celebration by his team. That’s because the potential margin of error on fuel mileage was extremely close and the driver was unable to treat the fans to the traditional post race victory burn out. With a smile on his face, Bowyer raised the question: “will I ever get to do a victory burn out this year?”

HOORAH. All three of Michael Waltrip Racing’s Toyotas finished in the top ten. In addition to Bowyer’s win, Mark Martin finished sixth while team mate Martin Truex Jr finished tenth. The collective winnings from MWR’s great night in Charlotte totaled to $476,973. With all three teams making the Chase this year, MWR has been the talk of the garage this season. The vast improvement of their performance levels, since last year, has been quite remarkable.

HOORAH. Denny Hamlin turned out to be another successful fuel saving driver and that netted him a second place finish in the Bank of America 500. The final separation between Bowyer and Hamlin was a mere 0.417 seconds. Hamlin, and his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team, is definitely on track as a championship contender and is now third in the rankings and only 15 points away from first.

WAZZUP. With approximately 58 laps remaining in the race, Brad Keselowski coasted down pit road completely out of gas. They simply ran one lap too many before they needed to pit. This was quite surprising from a team who has five wins this year and has excelled in fuel mileage issues all season long. After leading a race high 139 laps and looking like a potential winner, the team had to settle for an 11th place finish. The Chase points leader, prior to the race, held a 14 point advantage over Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski left Charlotte still the points leader but the margin is now down to seven points after Johnson finished third in the race.

HOORAH. After the race Keselowski took the situation in stride and gave a very gracious post race television interview. At no time during that interview did he even consider throwing any member of his team under the bus.

WAZZUP. At nearly the exact same point Keselowski was out of gas, Jimmie Johnson entered pit road and was extremely close to also running out of fuel. Johnson was seen wiggling his car back and forth, enroute to his pit stall, in an attempt to get enough gas to his fuel pick up. That movement prevented his gas thristy engine from shutting down.

HOORAH. Johnson kept his famous competitive cool and drove his way to the aforementioned third place finish and avoided a near points losing disaster. It’s that competitive cool that earned this team their five championships. It’s that same level of cool that could easily turn Jimmie Five Time into Jimmie Six Pack.

HOORAH. After suffering a concussion from a practice crash as Kansas as well as a second concussion from the big wreck at Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr made a very smart move by consulting famed neurosurgeon Dr Jerry Petty and then heeding his advice to step out of his #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for at least two races. As hard as it must be for a driver to vacate his ride, two concussions in a period of less than six weeks simply cannot be ignored.

HOORAH. Realizing he needed someone to replace Earnhardt for two races, team owner Rick Hendrick approached fellow owner James Finch, owner of the #51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet, about obtaining the services of driver Regan Smith who was scheduled to make his debut at Charlotte in Finch’s car. Hendrick’s line of thinking here was based on the fact that Earnhardt and Smith had similar physiques and that would spare his team using valuable practice time to fit the car seat for another driver. James Finch quickly, and graciously, agreed to help out.

WAZZUP. With the opportunity to showcase his driving talent in some of the best equipment in organized motorsports, Smith found himself extremely disappointed after the engine of Earnhardt’s car blew on lap 61. It was, of course, just one of those hard luck racing deals. The good news is: Smith gets another chance to drive Hendrick equipment next Sunday at the Kansas Speedway.

WAZZUP. Despite his eagerness to help his long time friend Rick Hendrick, James Finch now found himself needing a driver. It was the latest scenario that capped off some recent unexpected odd circumstances for Finch’s operations. Kurt Busch had been driving the Finch car this year and it was recently announced that Busch was going to take over the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, in 2013, that Regan Smith had been driving. Then it was announced that Busch was going to make an earlier than expected move to the #78 at Charlotte and Smith was going to drive Finch’s car for at least two races to determine if there might be the basis for a future working relationship with that team.

HOORAH. Finch surprised everyone by filling his empty driver’s seat with the presence of A J Allmendinger who was just recently reinstated by NASCAR after successfully completing a rehab program following a violation of the sport’s substance abuse policy. Finch deserves a tip of the racing hat for making this move. Anyone who successfully completes a rehab program deserves a second chance to return to a happier and healthier life. Following a slight miscue in qualifying, Allmendinger started the race in 38th and worked his way into the top 20. Unfortunately, that effort was hampered by a late race drive thru down pit road to serve a procedural penalty that occurred during a previous stop for gas and tires. Despite that, he finished 24th in the race and Finch was both pleased and impressed. “He did a real fine job before he received that penalty,” Finch said adding ” and he was out running Kurt Busch.” On Sunday, Finch announced that Allmendinger will be his driver for next Sunday’s race in Kansas. All of this driver swapping in recent weeks could actually lead to a very workable relationship between this owner and driver.

HOORAH. How about those 100,000 fans who attended the Charlotte race that represented all 50 states and 13 countries? Considering the current state of the economy, that is actually some very impressive numbers.

HOORAH. In honor of the month of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the color pink was seen everywhere at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Many of the race teams added pink to the color schemes of their cars. Even the speedway’s start/finish line was painted pink. It was a very classy gesture in support of a very important cause.