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Dale Earnhardt Jr. medically cleared to race again

By Ted Fleming

Sep 16, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr in attendance during NHRA qualifying for the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr in attendance during NHRA qualifying for the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Earnhardt completed a test session at Darlington Raceway on Wednesday that lasted five hours.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been given clearance to resume his NASCAR Cup career after being medically cleared to resume in-car activities; it was announced today by Hendrick Motorsports.

The 42-year old driver of the No. 88 Chevy SS was given permission to get back to all racing activities Wednesday evening by Dr. Micky Collins, medical director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program in Pittsburgh, in consultation with Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty.

“Dale is one of the hardest-working patients I’ve ever encountered,” Collins said, in a release. “He’s done everything we’ve asked, and we believe he is ready to compete at a professional level again and can withstand the normal forces of a race car driver. Dale has been very open with us, and we’ve had plenty of time for his treatment, so we feel very good about his long-term prospects and how this has been managed by everyone involved.”

Petty was in attendance when Earnhardt completed a five-hour testing session at Darlington Raceway that included 185 laps around one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. The testing was under the guidance of crew chief Greg Ives. During his recovery, Earnhardt logged more than 15 hours in a racing simulator.

“I feel great, and I’m excited to officially be back,” Earnhardt said. “I expected things to go really well yesterday, and that’s exactly what happened. Actually getting in a race car was an important final step, and it gives me a ton of confidence going into 2017. Thanks to the staff at Darlington for hosting our team and to NASCAR for giving us the opportunity to put a car on the track. I’ll do more testing in January to help knock the rust off. When it’s time to go to Daytona, I’ll be ready.”

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Earnhardt will return to competition when the 2017 season opened in February at Daytona International Speedway.

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