Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season, Hendrick Motorsports announced today.
Earnhardt was forced out of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS earlier this year after experiencing concussion like symptoms. Hendrick says he has undergone regular evaluation since then and is continuing to recover.
Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman will share driving duties for the 12 remaining Sprint Cup races. Gordon will pilot the car this weekend at Darlington and at Richmond and Martinsville, while Bowman will be behind the wheel for the rest.
“I wish I could return to the No. 88 team this season,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “To say I’m disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how I feel, but I know this is the right thing for my long-term health and career.”
“I know how hard Dale has worked and how frustrating this is for him,” added Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. “He wants to be back, and we want him back, but we want it to be for the long haul.”
Comments
Reading this article while watching college football (LSU vs Wisconsin) and NASCAR Sprint Cup without Dale Earnhardt Jr will mean another hit in ratings as the NCAA starts their season this weekend and the NFL next week especially as Dale Jr has been the most popular driver in the circuit and is reason why some watch.
NASCAR has yet to recover from the loss of his father let alone take a hit with a loss of him.
This is not over. He is done for the year and it is yet to be determined if he is not done for ever as a driver.
He is smart enough that if they can not say he may not do more serious damage in the next hit that he could just walk away.
He is set for life, about to get married and start a family. I am sure he will hate to leave the driver seat but he has much more he wants to do in life outside racing too.
There is a good chance he may not return.
NASCAR is in trouble as most of the traditional fans are fed up with the games of the chase etc. Many left when we lost SR. and few people care about many of the things they are doing today.
It is time they go back to address the base and regions that created them. I would love to see Wilksboro back and lets put them on dirt again. More short tracks and more different kinds of tracks.