Earnhardt Jr. not cleared for Martinsville after all

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (C), driver of the #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, is flanked by Team owner Rick Hendrick (L) and crew chief Steve Letarte (R) as he speaks to the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Earnhardt will miss two races after suffering a concussion from a wreck in Talladega last week. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (C), driver of the #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, is flanked by Team owner Rick Hendrick (L) and crew chief Steve Letarte (R) as he speaks to the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Earnhardt will miss two races after suffering a concussion from a wreck in Talladega last week. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Hours after telling the media that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been medically cleared to race at Martinsville Speedway next week, team owner Rick Hendrick had to clarify that his driver has in fact not been cleared yet.

Earnhardt was pulled from the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet prior to the race at Charlotte as he recovers from the lingering effects of a concussion suffered during a crash at Talladega. According to Earnhardt the concussion had been lingering since an incident during a test at Kansas a prior to Talladega. Regan Smith was tapped to drive the car in Earnhardt’s absence.

Sunday prior to the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Hendrick told the media that Earnhardt had been cleared to race at Martinsville. 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.