Dale Jr Makes His Return
Thursday, February 23rd
Thursday, February 23rd
A timeline of Dale Earnhardt Jr's injury and the impact it had on NASCAR.
00:06:28
Transcript - Not for consumer use. Robot overlords only. Will not be accurate.
As every NASCAR fan knows this Sunday is the biggest streets of the this year however. The roar of the crowd will not only be for the cars on the track when the green flag waves the roars will be for Dale Earnhardt junior. Behind the wheel of the 88 once again here in juniors injury time line and how it affected the sport next. I like to hand your name and this is hijacked and the motor racing network. Need to find your local MRM radio station taking a trip and wanna listen to NASCAR races. Ameren dot com click on stations to find all MR into mobile radio station. Plan a trip and now found MR and stations along your route him RN on your local stations tune in M Orleans rolled back Thursday the greatest races in NASCAR history. Richard Petty company outside of any parts of the latest delegate will be. Hey Victoria Finley esteem these guys and Thursdays at 1 PM eastern on him orange dot com war Diawara. That's why today's Norma my mom demanded him hard dot com media center for him on high to. Or five months. No move. On Hillary is done. FaceBook and Twitter MR and is there following Mario on social media for. For all the latest happenings from the track and in NASCAR breaking news video photos a lot of races and shows. Stats of the billions and more all day long on the Marlins FaceBook and Twitter. The Ford deal genius starts at Daytona 500 on the front end next adjacent. Let's realign his injury in CB impacted him not being in the car. Had on the second half of the 2016 season. But let's not so yeah I'm be outside. All there's always anticipation heading into the Daytona 500 for cars to be on the track after months of silence. This year is a different anticipation in the air the return of NASCAR's most popular driver. And big dog on the final time off guard corps they'll learn argued eloquently yeah you're lucky pretty wide. Barry why didn't breathe out after an argument here well planned for the sixth time at Talladega super speedway. Dale Earnhardt junior missed the second half of the 4016 season. After doctors said he had concussion like symptoms. Crash at Michigan in June is believed to be the cause of Dale's injury. In July it was announced that he wouldn't race at New Hampshire. And Alex Baldwin would fill him. My job system plug and say any race team and I'm not I'm not here to try to beat on charging air my own person but it's. I just need to you plug in and and give them the best feedback I can. Adding to the shocking news of dale junior's withdrawal. Hendrick Motorsports announced that Jeff Gordon would come out of retirement and climb back behind the wheel of Indianapolis the following weekend. I'm proud to be up yet to be here to help his team now you know this is his team and what we want most is there. Have him healthy and strong for the long term and you know Michael us give this team that the best effort that I can and get them the best result hopefully get. With no timetable for his return Dale Junior expressed a desire to return to racing. But getting mentally and physically healthy was his first priority you know talk to my doctor every other day and sometimes for. You know our team now. To cycle I logical side of it because it can become they frustrating. And you don't have you know obviously in a race car driver we don't have a lot of patients to him list after Gordon filled in both Indianapolis and pocono. Dale Junior was still not medically cleared to race in the NASCAR world seemed to be waiting on a week to week basis for updates on Dale's condition. Gordon and Bowman would commit to water two races and wait to see what the doctor sent. Then on September 2 came the headline Dale Junior outlook for the remainder of the season. And I've I think it's the right decision considering how I feel personally. And physically I definitely don't belong in a race car today by any stretch of the mind and imagination and night you don't know how long this process it's gonna take and we wanna be healthy and be enabled him. Questions immediately arose whether Dale Junior would come back at all or when he came back if he'd be at the same level. Gordon and Bowman split the remaining twelve races but it just wasn't the same. There was no overwhelming fan base screaming when the number 88 car was on the track. It wasn't junior it was a silly. Dale's status not only worried fans and NASCAR. But his fellow drivers began to take a look at their own health risks Brad Kozlowski was one of the. It's brutal to see if Fred go through issues like what do cameras concert because you know they can happen medium. In some ways yet to quarantine them in your mind because you can't compete as the rays starter remember about those things. Dale junior's concussion like symptoms also had an impact on Carl edwards' decision to leave the sport during the off season. He listed walking away with these health still intact as one of the main reasons. Dale Earnhardt junior is a hell of again. He's got it that I look up to I think everyone's attention that and fortunately because of all the work that people have done I can stand here and percent healthy but they Yemeni says that's it that's one of the factors analysis. The season ended we have no word on whether Earnhardt would return to the car for the Daytona 500. It wasn't until December 8 that fans finally got their answer. He was coming back. Medically cleared and ready to ago. Our heart tested at Phoenix and felt good behind the wheel now Dale Junior is back and ready to return to Victory Lane not for himself but. For those who supported him the things they kind of motivate me wanna win more wanna do more is my dad's Craig making people happy as gas that it. I keep fans happy Hollis board that we see on social media. Home wanted to raise taxes instant hot stuff motivation to keep going. Think we you know got a chance to do win races we are great team with a great organization and I feel like I've got a lot talents and their package looks like issuer. NRA and we'll have full coverage of the Daytona 500 starting at 1 PM eastern on Sunday. I'm like the hanging and this has been iPod jacks on the motor racing network.