Dale Earnhardt Jr. Calls out Serious Health Concern for NASCAR Drivers

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is noting a serious health issue in NASCAR. The 48-year-old talked about how more drivers are getting concussions on his podcast Dale Jr. Download. He believes that several drivers suffered concussions but continue to compete. 

"Here's my opinion. We're having more people step up and say, 'I've got a concussion,'" Earnhardt said, per Beyond the Flag. "We've got Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman who are out of the car this year alone with a concussion, and those are the only two we know about. Let's not fool ourselves. Drivers will get a concussion and race with it. It would not shock me if several of these guys got a concussion unknowingly and got back in the car — or knew that they had some sort of concussion in a crash — and continued to race."

Bowman, who qualified for the playoffs, has missed multiple races due to concussion-like symptoms. Because of that, he missed out on advancing in the playoffs and winning a NASCAR Cup Series title. Busch was forced to miss the playoffs due to him suffering a concussion, and he recently announced his retirement from full-time racing. 

"I know I'm not at 100 percent in my ability to go out and race at the top level of the NASCAR Cup Series," he said, earlier this month, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "These are the best of the best drivers, and lately I haven't felt my best. The doctors have come to the conclusion that it's best for me to shut it down for the season. As I continue to focus on my health toward being cleared, I'll be stepping away from full-time competition in 2023. My long-term health is priority No. 1. And I don't feel committing to compete for a championship is in my best interests or the best interests of the team."

Earnhardt knows about concussions as he suffered one in 2016, leading to him missing the entire second half of the season. In 2018, Earnhardt told PEOPLE that he suffered at least 20 concussions in his career with the first one occurring in 1998. But he kept them a secret so he could continue to race.