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Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not compete in this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing concussion-like symptoms.
The team indicated in a statement that physicians did not clear Earnhardt to race after an evaluation this week. Alex Bowman, who drives part-time for Earnhardt's JR Motorsports team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was named as this weekend's interim driver in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet for Sunday's New Hampshire 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).
Earnhardt started and finished 13th last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. The 41-year-old driver ranks 13th in the drivers' standings with eight races left in the regular season.
"I wasn't feeling great the week going into Kentucky and thought it was possibly severe allergies," Earnhardt said in a statement provided by the team. "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.
"I'm disappointed about missing New Hampshire this weekend. I'm looking forward to treatment with the goal of getting back in the race car when the doctors say I'm ready."
The team indicated that there was no clear timetable for Earnhardt's return and that it would provide an update next week regarding his status for Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24.
Earnhardt missed two Sprint Cup Series races in the 2012 season after suffering two concussions in a six-week stretch. This spring, Earnhardt said he would donate his brain to science upon his death, helping contribute to the growing research field of sports brain trauma. He said in April that he had contacted the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Boston University center for CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) studies.
"I'm proud of Dale for standing up," said Rick Hendrick. "The number-one priority is his health, so we're going to give him all the time he needs. We completely support the decision by the doctors and will be ready to go win races when he's 100 percent. In the meantime, we have full confidence in (crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team, and we know they'll do a great job."
The development throws Earnhardt's postseason status into question. By missing a regular-season start for medical reasons, he would need a waiver from competition officials to be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, provided he meets all other criteria -- a regular-season win plus top-30 standings in points, or qualifying as part of the top points-earners among the top 16 drivers. Earnhardt is currently 14th on the provisional Chase grid.
The team said that Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt, Ives and Bowman would be available for interviews and updates Friday morning at the New Hampshire track.
Bowman competed full-time in the Sprint Cup Series for two seasons, driving for BK Racing in 2014 and Tommy Baldwin Racing the following year. He has top-10 finishes in each of his four XFINITY Series starts for JR Motorsports this season.