Dale Earnhardt Jr. cleared to race starting this week at Martinsville

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has sat out the last two races while recovering from a concussion. (Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has sat out the last two races while recovering from a concussion. (Getty Images)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been cleared medically and by NASCAR to return to competition and will race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

Earnhardt has sat out the last two Sprint Cup races while nursing a concussion suffered at Talladega Superspeedway last month. Earnhardt announced October 11 that he would miss the two races (Charlotte and Kansas) while he was recovering from the concussion.

Regan Smith was tapped to drive the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet while Earnhardt recovered.

This past week team owner Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt would test in a racecar on Monday and be further evaluated and most likely cleared Tuesday. Hendrick Motorsports made the official announcement late Tuesday morning. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.