Dale Earnhardt Jr. out at New Hampshire

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be racing in the Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s road to the Chase has taken another huge hit. With Earnhardt Jr. yet to win a race this season and hoping to get a chance to compete for a Sprint Cup Championship based on points, he will not have a chance to pick up a win on Sunday.

On Thursday, it was announced that Earnhardt Jr. would miss the race on Sunday, because of concussion-like symptoms, via ESPN’s Bob Pockrass.

Earnhardt Jr. mentioned that he hadn’t been feeling good dating all the way back to last week’s race at Kentucky.

"“I wasn’t feeling great the week going into Kentucky [Speedway] and thought it was possibly severe allergies,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “I saw a family doctor and was given medication for allergies and a sinus infection. When that didn’t help, I decided to dig a little deeper. Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out."

With the high speeds and dangerous wrecks in NASCAR, concussions are common for drivers and Earnhardt Jr. has taken some nasty hits this year.

A few weeks ago at Michigan, he was involved in a wreck that left him shook up afterward and it was clear that he wasn’t right. Whether he’s ready to return next week remains to be seen, but he’s currently 14th in points and that likely means that dropping out is a very real possibility.

However, his health is far more important and it raises an interesting question about concussions and NASCAR.

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