#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. never seriously thought about missing the rest of the Sprint Cup season after being forced to sit out the last two races with symptoms of a concussion. But NASCAR’s most popular driver is glad he made the decision to tell doctors about the headaches and other symptoms that parked him, and assured he will be more proactive in sharing those symptoms in the future. Earnhardt hasn ‘t experienced the headaches he had when he first saw neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty on Oct. 12, the day after Petty announced Earnhardt would not be cleared to drive for two weeks. ‘I felt like I could race at Kansas for sure, probably ran at Charlotte with no problem,’ Earnhardt said. ‘I felt kind of foolish sitting at home and feeling OK and not being in the car. If the doctors said it’s OK, I wanted to be in the car.’ Speaking publicly for the first time since Petty parked him, Earnhardt said he can ‘t wait to race. He ‘ll do so with a new Stilo Motorsports Helmet instead of the Impact Racing helmet he’s been using, but made it clear he was considering this before his head injuries. ‘It was really hard to see your car running around without you in it, so that was difficult,’ Earnhardt said, adding he understands now more than ever that he made the right decision. He hopes other drivers treat concussions more seriously because of his situation.(ESPN)(10-26-2012)
