Dale Earnhardt Jr. in “final stages of getting well” following hiatus due to concussion

NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the “final stages of getting well” after suffering a concussion and not racing since July, he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday.

“It was a good relief for me to be able to be out of the car this long because I felt like that if I did compete in The Chase and have an accident, I would most likely re-injure myself as bad, if not worse,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “More than likely, that could put my career at serious doubt.”

The driver of the No. 88 instead chose to sit out the season and rehab from the brain injury. Junior has been receiving treatment from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since mid-July.

“We’ve been taking medication, a very small dose, to kind of numb some of the systems to make the days really tolerable,” Earnhardt said. “We’re at a point now where we can come off of that medication.”

Earnhardt told Brad Gillie, filling in for Dave Moody on SiriusXM Speedway, that he can now participate in physical activities without symptoms, but he still feels its effects when he is in an unfamiliar environment or is surrounded by large groups of people.

“That’s kind of the last, final stages of getting well,” he said.

For the latest news in the world of NASCAR, tune into SiriusXM, Channel 90. Photo: AP.