NASCAR: Dale Jr. Will Make The Wrong Decision And That's Okay
NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will soon be at a crossroads when it comes to his NASCAR career and at that time he will make a decision which will most likely not be the correct one.
NASCAR has been without Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a couple of months now and NASCAR will remain without him for the rest of the 2016 season. The assumption is that some time between now and the 2017 Daytona 500, Earnhardt will be cleared by doctors to return to the No. 88 machine. When that happens one then has to believe (given everything that he has said during his recovery) that Earnhardt Jr. will make the decision to return to the No. 88 machine.
The decision to return to NASCAR for Earnhardt Jr. is one that is wrong, but it’s also one that almost every driver and fan would make for themselves and that makes it okay.
For starters let’s throw out there what we all know to be truth. Earnhardt Jr. is no stranger to concussions as he has now dealt with them a handful of times in his NASCAR career. It’s also understood that those who suffer concussions are more susceptible to future concussions. A concussion isn’t like a broken bone which can heal and become stronger, there isn’t a surgery or set of preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the chances of getting one while on the track behind the wheel.
Lastly, I think it’s safe to say that Earnhardt Jr.’s bout with his most recent issue is a bit outside of the norm when it comes to concussions in sports. When was the last time that you saw an athlete get diagnosed with a concussion and then miss months of the season? Generally speaking a concussion will sideline someone for a week, maybe two but months isn’t usually on the table.
The history, the length of time to recover, the inherent danger and lack of a way to avoid situations in a car that could lead to another concussion; these are all reasons for Earnhardt to never drive in NASCAR again. These are all respectable and responsible reasons for an athlete in his 40’s and at the end of his career to walk away under his own terms.
While the side to walk away is powerful, the side to remain is even stronger and more alluring and that’s why it’s hard to fault Earnhardt Jr. for making a decision that it seems inevitable that he is going to make.
What if Earnhardt Jr. drives for another three seasons and doesn’t have any other issues with concussions? Before this season he went a handful of seasons without a concussion and prior to that he went about a decade without one. If you play those odds it seems like a decent bet that he could run a few more seasons without an issue.
Oh and if he is able to run a few more seasons just think about what he could accomplish. Maybe he could win another Daytona 500 or another couple of races at Talladega. Maybe he would make the Chase for the next few seasons and win a championship along the way.
How do you tell an athlete who feels fine and believes that they can still compete that they should walk away based on what could happen? The simple answer is that you can’t because at the end of the day it’s Earnhardt Jr.’s body. It’s his career and while it’s easy for me or you to point out what we think is the right or responsible thing to do, it’s not our decision to make and it’s impossible to understand the gravity of such a decision.
Sure, Earnhardt Jr. could be involved in the big one at Daytona, suffer another concussion and never race again. Sure, Earnhardt Jr. could cut a tire at Bristol next season, barely get into the wall and suffer the same result. Heck maybe he suffers a concussion in the future and it doesn’t end his career or maybe he never suffers another concussion at all. None of us can predict the future, we can only make educated guesses based on the information that we have.
Based on the information from 2016, it seems more like a question of when Earnhardt Jr. will suffer his next concussion and not if he will but it could just as easily go in the other direction.
At the end of the day NASCAR fans needs to take solace in the fact that if he does get back into the car he is doing so knowing the best and worst possible outcomes. NASCAR fans have to take solace in the fact that Earnhardt Jr. is being forced to make one of the most difficult decisions a person could ever be forced to make and while some might not agree with his decision, it’s one that many of us would most likely make if we were in his shoes.
Although I don’t think he should return to the No. 88 machine in 2017, I understand why he is doing and I would probably do the same thing. My only hope for Dale Earnhardt Jr. is that when his NASCAR career comes to an end, it comes on his own terms and not because he suffered another concussion and is not physically fit to return to the track.
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