Dale Earnhardt Jr. out at least two more races; Bowman and Gordon to sub
You won’t be seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a Sprint Cup car until the Richmond race at the earliest.
Hendrick Motorsports said Wednesday that Earnhardt has not been cleared to resume racing by doctors for at least the next two race weekends. The timeframe includes races at Michigan and Darlington. Junior has missed the previous five races because of a concussion doctors believe was sustained at Michigan in June. Junior didn’t start feeling significant symptoms from the concussion until Kentucky, three races later.
Alex Bowman, who drove for Junior at New Hampshire in the first race he missed, will drive Sunday at Michigan. Jeff Gordon, who has been Earnhardt Jr.’s primary fill-in driver, will drive at Darlington. Gordon can’t race at Michigan on Sunday because of a prior commitment that would prevent him from being at the track on Friday and Saturday.
“We know how hard Dale is working to get back,” HMS owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. “He’s following what the doctors are saying, to the letter, and doing exactly what he needs to do. Everyone wants to see him in a race car, but his health is first and foremost. We’re behind him.”
Junior has been open about his rehab protocols and progress, posting updates to various social media channels.
Gordon has seven wins at Darlington, though he hasn’t finished in the top 10 in any of his four races in the No. 88. He got his best finish (11th) at Bristol on Sunday.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
