LDN - Sports

Earnhardt's concussion plan goes beyond Brickyard

[July 19, 2016] By Jonathan Ingram, The Sports Xchange

The Dale Earnhardt Jr. concussion watch has begun.

After the Sprint Cup teams raced without him at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, it was clear that the presence of NASCAR's most popular driver was missed and unclear what the future will hold for the driver individually and the sport in general.

This week, Earnhardt, Jr.'s doctors will decide if he's able to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, one of the fastest tracks in the series. If Earnhardt, Jr. then chooses to enter, a medical specialist working with NASCAR will use the sanctioning body's concussion protocol to confirm he's able to race.

Absent Earnhardt, Jr., Hendrick Motorsports has Jeff Gordon standing by.

But this is only a microcosm of current events, set in motion due to Earnhardt, Jr.'s courage about coming forward after consulting with his doctors and voluntarily sitting out the New Hampshire race. He had the same symptoms the week before without realizing they were concussion related and competed at the Kentucky Speedway. So there was a choice and the star driver, once he knew the facts, made the gutsy call to step aside for at least one race, maybe more.

Ironically, it was only this spring that Earnhardt, Jr. volunteered to donate his brain to science after his death, a choice that was carefully considered and made in the interest of improving the science about concussions as well as the sport he loves. That decision related to the two concussions suffered by Earnhardt, Jr. in 2012.

The attention he will continue to receive in the media and from fans is fundamental to recognizing Earnhardt, Jr.'s courage in doing the right thing. His recent episode now makes him the central figure in ongoing discussions about concussions in motor racing, which has been secondary story to the problems that have plagued the National Football League.

At age 41, Earnhardt, Jr. has more than a few years of competition left according to the usual standards, which no longer necessarily apply. In the wake of the retirement of Gordon from regular Sprint Cup competition this year and Tony Stewart next year, Earnhardt Jr. has said he wasn't close to considering it.

Now Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt Nation, NASCAR itself and the sport's followers will begin to live with the week-to-week consideration of whether retirement is the answer for Earnhardt, Jr.

Every time there's a crash involving him -- there were two at Talladega earlier this year -- it will raise the specter of being the crash that hastens retirement. As long as he continues to drive, the question of possibly quitting to better enjoy his upcoming marriage and a post-driving life as one of NASCAR's most engaging personalities will be present for Earnhardt, Jr.

One of the known aspects about concussions is that repeated occurrences can be very destructive. One driver who eventually left the sport after suffering a severe head injury is Ricky Craven, now a commentator for ESPN. Craven returned from a long absence following a concussion suffered at the Texas Motor Speedway in 1997, which followed two other concussions. He was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, which led to problems with virtigo. He eventually won one race for Hendrick Motorsports and a memorable race at the Darlington Raceway for team owner Cal Wells in 2003 and then soon retired.

A larger question also looms for the sanctioning body.

Unlike the NFL, there has not been a plague of injured former drivers surfacing. But Freddy Lorenzen's family says the star Ford factory driver of the 1960s is suffering dementia due to head injuries received while racing and recently announced Lorenzen's brain would also be donated to science after his death. Another star of the 1960s, Lee Roy Yarbrough suffered a bad concussion while driving for Dan Gurney at Indy, was never the same driver afterward and eventually died in a mental hospital.

One of the early Busch Series champions, Sam Ard, suffered a concussion the year he won the title and spent the rest of his life battling mental health issues.

But since NASCAR has only recognized drivers as independent contractors for legal purposes, the liability for past events is not regarded in the same light as the settlement established for NFL players suffering from the syndrome of repeated concussion injuries known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

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When Earnhardt, Jr. suffered a concussion during a test at the Kansas Speedway in 2012, which led to his first episode of concussion-like symptoms later in that year following a crash at Talladega, he was in cars with the state-of-the-art cockpit safety equipment. The HANS Device has been central to reducing critical or fatal head injuries in all forms of racing, including NASCAR. But it is designed to reduce shear force and tension in the neck leading to basilar skull fractures.

The mechanism behind a concussion is much more difficult to prevent as the NFL and those working on special football helmets are beginning to discover. In NASCAR, as much science that has gone into carbon fiber seats, head surrounds with scientifically designed padding and the HANS Device, the issue of a driver's brain hitting the inside of the skull as a result of an accident still exists.

Why the problem befell Earnhardt, Jr. is unclear. Whether other drivers have chosen to hide concussions or concussion-like symptoms is also slightly muddled due to the injury being difficult to detect in some circumstances.

NASCAR may have to change protocols and ask all drivers involved in accidents to submit to a post-race examination for concussion, not just those who visit the infield medical center as a result of their cars being disabled. Drivers involved in testing crashes perhaps should also undergo a mandatory medical exam. The sanctioning body may need to look at imposing a longer waiting period for any driver assessed with concussion-like symptoms or a concussion.

Looking back on the arc of Earnhardt, Jr.'s troubles with concussions, these protocols may or may not have made a difference in terms of preventing an ongoing, longterm problem.

One of those familiar with head injuries is Joe Gibbs. His son J.D., formerly the president of Joe Gibbs Racing, is suffering from a brain-related disorder that the family believes resulted from head injuries that occurred while competing in youth sports, including motocross.

"I don't remember concussions for us even though we're in a race car and we're going that fast and everything," said Gibbs of his 25-season career as a Sprint Cup team owner, which included a victory by Matt Kenseth at New Hampshire on Sunday. "But I think it's a serious issue in sports today. I think we're so much better medically, that the protocols and everything we have in place is great. It's a serious issue, because you want to really pay attention to it. But I think we've done a great job with the cars and the safety features, and obviously it's impacted me and my family, I think. It could definitely be a part of J.D.'s situation. I think it's one of the most important things we can deal with in sports."

Similarly, driver/team owner Tony Stewart says the changing times have made NASCAR more alert to head injuries and drivers like Earnhardt, Jr., too. When in the minor leagues trying to make a living, said Stewart, drivers often "played hurt" to stay in the racing game and to pay the rent, including him. It's different currently, he said, when it comes to head injuries.

"I think since the NFL and since the concussion thing has become such a big topic, and it's just awareness more than anything," said Stewart. "And I think that's the great thing about Dale is that he's really brought a lot of awareness. It just doesn't happen in the NFL, it happens in our sport, as well."

Despite all the support he has found in the garage for making his condition known, for now Earnhardt, Jr. is more like a lone wolf in this safety discussion. NASCAR protocols are in place for drivers, who also now have enough information to take themselves to neurologists if necessary. Every time there is crash that disables a car the safety equipment is reviewed by NASCAR officials and an investigation team at Research and Development. They are aided by crash data recorders on each car.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough to prevent concussions or the reoccurrence of Earnhardt, Jr.'s concussion symptoms. Ultimately, it will be up to him to choose how to deal with it in the future and up to his fans and the rest of the sport to accept his decision.

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