LDN - Sports

Earnhardt Jr. looks for stimulation during quiet week

[August 12, 2016] By Jonathan Ingram, The Sports Xchange

In the case of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his concussion symptoms, it's a matter of waiting ... and staying tuned to Dirty Mo Radio, the driver's weekly podcast.

The short term fate of Earnhardt Nation and to some extent NASCAR Nation rests in the hands of time and Earnhardt, Jr.'s medical team at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UMPC). That's where Earnhardt Jr. is getting treatment for a second time after initially sustaining a concussion in 2012.

As a case study of a famous athlete having problems with concussion-like symptoms, Earnhardt, Jr. has been an exemplary role model, including his trip to Watkins Glen last week to talk to the media about his condition and prognosis. Along with his podcast, where he initially revealed his symptoms of balance problems and what is known as "gaze stabilization" resulting from a crash at the Michigan International Speedway in June, Earnhardt, Jr. has shined a light inside what could have been a dark, mysterious chapter.

While it's not the job of journalists to become part of the healing process, Earnhardt, Jr. has basically enlisted the media to create a positive atmosphere about his return by being open and not trying to hide from the inevitable glare of interest in the career of the perennial winner of NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award.

Oddly enough, the doctors have recommended Earnhardt, Jr. voluntarily put himself in situations of stress or anxiety that will aggravate his symptoms. That's part of the process of trying to get the brain to help heal itself. So he showed up at Watkins Glen, basically, to provide himself enough aggravation and anxiety to help the healing process. Never have the inquiring minds of journalists been so helpful.

Now that there's an off weekend, Earnhardt, Jr. will have to find other ways to put stress on himself, such as going out to lunch or hanging out with his sister Kelley's children.

Needless to say, the prospect of losing Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, currently coming out of retirement to substitute for him, and Tony Stewart to retirement within a year's time is not a comfortable one for NASCAR officials or fans. The New York Yankees may be losing Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira in short order, but baseball has always been about lineups. Motor racing is about the guys behind the wheel, not the pit wall, and NASCAR in particular has been built on the legends and personalities of its drivers.

At his media conference, where there were no signs of balance or eyesight problems, Earnhardt, Jr. was his usual forthcoming self. Throughout his career, he has answered questions from the perspective that the sport deserves full responses from its participants in order to keep fans informed. It's one of the most admirable things about a third generation driver who grew up in the sport and has decided it's the right way to approach his career.

The one-day trip to Watkins Glen was cut from this same cloth. Earnhardt, Jr. emphasized his team of doctors at UPMC are optimistic that the exercises and treatment he has undertaken will eventually clear up symptoms that have been identified as "ocular imbalance." This problem is familiar to his doctors and others have responded to the same treatment with a positive outcome. But there's no putting a time line to it.

The "R word" is not under consideration, said the driver. That's a relief, since nobody wants to see a driver who is injured try to contemplate retirement without first getting back into a race car.

"When I first went to see my doctor in this particular instance it was 'I need to get right because I need to get back in the car as soon as I can,'" he said. "I'm surprised that I've missed this many races. I never thought this would take this long. I didn't have a massive accident and I didn't have really crazy symptoms. This thing happened so awkward where we had the accident in Michigan and then the symptoms crept in very slowly like two weeks later. I didn't think this was that serious, but it had gotten to a point to where I definitely didn't need to be in the race car. At that point you've got to go get checked out and get a hold of it and figure out how to fix it."

The situation is a reminder of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s rookie season in 1979. The rookie of the year candidate suffered a concussion, broken collarbone and bruised heart in a violent crash at the Pocono Raceway. Earnhardt, Sr. and wife Teresa set up a conference call with journalists to let them know Earnhardt, Sr. would be back in the car at Osterlund Racing, where the legendary David Pearson was one of his substitutes. "Heck," said Earnhardt, Sr. during that call nearly four decades ago, "I've had a broken heart before. I'll get over it."

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When it comes to the question of whether Earnhardt, Jr. should get back into the car and risk another injury, his doctors believe his current treatment will make him less likely to have the same symptoms reappear. Still, it is a brave man who continues to race at Sprint Cup speeds after two incidents where concussion issues have presented themselves.

On the other hand, it's not quite the same as head injuries in football attributed to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. In football, it's guaranteed the helmeted head will receive blows that can aggravate this diagnosis. It's less clear what may happen if Earnhardt, Jr. gets involved in a typical wreck such as the one at the Michigan International Speedway in June. If he returns to driving at Michigan later this month, or in the future, the question about a possible repeat occurrence will come up.

What Earnhardt, Jr. has in common with football players is the quandary about whether to let others know that symptoms of head injury are occurring. That's the best way to get pulled from a lineup, but also the best way to be treated before symptoms become overwhelming. This, too, is a reason to admire the response of Earnhardt, Jr. Racing is a sport where it's easy to hide injuries, sometimes, for the sake of earning a living. Even Earnhardt, Jr. acknowledged that were he an up-and-coming driver it might have been more difficult to turn himself over to medical treatment.

For now, the focus is on getting healthy and returning to his race car. Interestingly, it is the executive director of UPMC's Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Dr. Michael Collins, who devised the ImPACT test used to assess whether athletes can return to participation in their respective sport. It's a "before and after" assessment of neurological responses.

As of yet, there is no indication of how long Earnhardt, Jr. needs to be symptom free before his doctors OK a return to the race car. An ImPACT test administered by an independent physician chosen by NASCAR will also have to be passed before his return to the No. 88 at Hendrick Motorsports.

Short term, it's a matter of preparing for 2017, since Earnhardt, Jr. will not be a likely candidate to make the Chase after missing the round at Bristol, Tenn. on Aug. 20. If he returns at Michigan, it is probably expecting too much for him to win a race before the 26-race regular season ends at Richmond on Sept. 10. But Earnhardt, Jr. said at Watkins Glen the conversation with team owner Rick Hendrick about a contract extension will continue, despite his recent troubles.

"I sat with Rick before this happened a couple of months ago to talk about an extension," Earnhardt, Jr. said. "That is the direction that we are going. As soon as I can get healthy and get confident in how I feel and feel like I can drive a car and be great driving it then I want to drive. I want to race. I miss the competition. I miss being here. I miss the people and as Rick likes to say 'We've got unfinished business.' I'm not ready to stop racing. I'm not ready to quit."

That "unfinished business" is obviously a championship. It's the only element missing from an accomplished career, one that is understandably often compared to the career of his father, a seven-time champion.

Recently, there have been two examples of drivers returning from serious injuries who have scored victories: Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. There's no reason why Earnhardt, Jr. can't have what can be considered a "post-injury bounce" in motivation once he gets back behind the wheel.

According to him and by way of indirect reports from his doctors, it's a question of when and not if Earnhardt, Jr. returns. That's a welcome scenario.

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