NASCAR Cup Series

Earnhardt expects medical clearance in December to race

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:02 a.m. ET

foxsports

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) Dale Earnhardt Jr. should be medically cleared from his concussion in December and ready to race in the 2017 Daytona 500.

Team owner Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt recently sent a text that said he was just waiting for Daytona.

Earnhardt has not raced since July 9. The Daytona 500 opens the NASCAR season on Feb. 26.

It's not clear when Earnhardt was injured. He was in crashes at Michigan on June 12 and Daytona on July 2, and his symptoms originally led Earnhardt to believe his problem was allergy or sinus related. He raced at Kentucky on July 9 not feeling well, and when his condition didn't improve, he saw a neurological specialist who diagnosed concussion-like symptoms.

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