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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — The drive into historic Watkins Glen International in upstate New York is as scenic as they come. Yellow, white and periwinkle-colored wildflowers punctuate the rolling countryside. Old, wooden barns are scattered among the wide-open fields, which boast spectacular mountain-top backdrops and some of the freshest air on the NASCAR schedule.
It was all a nice backdrop Friday for the sport’s favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to make his first trackside visit since stepping out of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver’s seat three races ago to recover from concussion-like symptoms most likely suffered seven races ago at Michigan International Speedway.
Fans were delighted, but respectful in seeking his autograph in the garage area.
It was a similar scene outside the team trailers and inside the garages with Earnhardt smiling and waving to friends and teammates.
“It just felt so weird not being there, so here we are,” Earnhardt said.
It was difficult to determine who was happier with Earnhardt’s single-afternoon, trackside visit — him or everyone else.
With its one-of-a-kind scenery and friendly vibe, Watkins Glen was actually a perfect venue for Earnhardt to join the Sprint Cup Series for a dose of mutual reassurance.
The fans, the whole Sprint Cup garage, want him back. More so, they want him healthy.
And NASCAR’s 13-time and reigning Most Popular Driver is not ready to differentiate between the words “when” and “if” that might be.
His doctors don’t care about either in terms of Earnhardt’s racing return. They just want him better. And so does the garage, the media center and of course, his massive fandom.
“My doctor thinks that to get through the therapy and to get through the symptoms you don’t need to be adding stress to your life,” Earnhardt calmly explained Friday to the room of NASCAR reporters. “The stress will slow down the process.
“So, going into those kinds of conversations (about when to drive) aren’t even necessary at this particular point. The point right now is just to get healthy. Just to get right. I’m not thinking about the what-ifs. I’m just listening to my doctors. We went into this with the intentions of getting back in the car when we get cleared. I think that is a possibility and so do my doctors.”
This is an uncommon situation for NASCAR. A concussion doesn’t require a cast or a splint. It doesn’t come with general timestamps for recovery.
And that nuance is hard for the sport. And tougher on Earnhardt.
He was soft-spoken and thoughtful Friday afternoon with the media. He was open and introspective. It was difficult at times to hear about the challenges and non-specifics.
“Our intentions are to get cleared and get back to racing,” Earnhardt said. “We are just taking it one evaluation at a time. It is frustrating to have to do it that way, but that is the process, and we hope and expect that when we go back for the next evaluation that we are symptom free and can start to see a timeline develop. Until then, we are just taking it one evaluation at a time. Those are typically every two to three to four weeks.”
Earnhardt conceded that in addition to the therapy his is doing — two to three hours of mental and physical therapy daily — he has made a point to update his massive fan base through his Dirty Mo Radio podcasts.
“The one thing I worry the most about and I think I said on the podcast is that I don’t like people to make assumptions on where I am at and how I am doing and what I am up to,” Earnhardt said. “So it is best for my peace of mind, to give me peace of mind and to bring down any stress and anxiety through the process, to just open up and be honest about what is going on and how we are doing.”
The upside of this difficult situation is the attention Earnhardt is bringing to properly dealing with a concussion in this sport. He acknowledged that a decade or two ago, the medical community might not have been as able to so accurately diagnose and deal with the situation.
Decades ago, stepping out of the race car wasn’t always an option despite the sensibility of doing it.
Earnhardt’s example is powerful.
“I’m so thankful that there is knowledge and there is rehabilitation that is specific to what I have going on,” Earnhardt said. “There is just not this umbrella of treatment that they sort of give to everybody. They have specific ways to help and heal specific types of concussions and certain symptoms. That is why I think I enjoy talking to my doctor so often and going to see him so often — because you have so many questions.
“Every day you get a new concern or a new question and you really can’t wait to get in the room and be able to talk to him about it. For them to have the knowledge they have today versus where we were 10 or 20 years ago is something I am very thankful for. And I feel very fortunate when I got to see my doctor, he will put me in front of four or five different specialists that handle a lot of different things as far as my rehabilitation and medication and so forth. There is so much to grab on to.”
Throughout his time in front of reporters, Earnhardt reassured the crowd of his hopes to get back behind the wheel of the Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.
Most importantly, however, is his desire to get better, feel better, be better.
And time is his.
