Jeff Gordon will fill in at Watkins Glen and Bristol for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss at least two more Sprint Cup Series races because of a concussion
Hendrick Motorsports said Tuesday that Jeff Gordon would fill in at Watkins Glen on Sunday and at Bristol on Aug. 20. Junior said on his podcast Monday that his balance was “up and down” and he was still dealing with vision issues, comments that made it seem unlikely he’d be able to race in the near future.
Junior met with doctors on Tuesday to get an update on his progress.
“We have a break in the schedule after Watkins Glen, so the extra week of recovery time will certainly be a benefit,” team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. “Dale will be back when he’s ready, and we’re looking forward to that happening, but the priority continues to be his health and well-being. We’ll keep our focus on that and let the doctors guide us.”
Excited to report I had a great trip to the doctor today for evaluation. Doctors and I both are feeling positive about the progress.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) August 2, 2016
Gordon has filled in for Junior at Indianapolis and Pocono. Gordon finished 13th at Indianapolis (continuing his run as being the only driver to compete in every Brickyard 400) and 27th in Monday’s rain-delayed Pocono race. Gordon’s seatbelt came unbuckled twice during Monday’s race.
Junior also said on his podcast that doctors believe his crash at Michigan in June resulted in his concussion even though he felt fine on the ensuing off weekend at the next race at Sonoma. At his last race, Kentucky, Junior said he thought he was experiencing sinus issues.
Alex Bowman filled in for Earnhardt Jr. at New Hampshire.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
