Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most popular driver on the Sprint Cup circuit and now the star has a clean bill of health heading into Sunday's race at Phoenix after getting hit hard in last weekend's Nationwide Series race at Daytona.
According to the Associated Press, Earnhardt, who was coming off of a concussion last season, passed a personal test after having his health tested right after hitting the wall during the final lap crash in the Daytona Nationwide race on Saturday. The crash was the same scary one that involved 12 cars and sent Kyle Larson's car airborne and into the catch fencing on the side of the track. 28 fans were injured after the crash, although no drivers sustained serious injuries.
"I was real happy I was able to pass a personal test, I guess," Earnhardt said from Phoenix International Raceway on Friday. "When you have concussions, sometimes they're easier to get the second, third, fourth time around, so we survived that one. We'll try to move on and not get in anymore wrecks."
Last season Earnhardt qualified for the Sprint Cup Chase for the championship, but was forced to drop out with two races left after suffering a concussion. He finished 12th in the standings and was replaced for the final two races he missed.
Earnhardt tried to stay clear of the fiery wreck on Saturday, but was blocked by another car and hit the wall hard on the track. The crash started when leader Regan Smith tried to block defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, which initiated the wreck.
Earnhardt went to the track medical center after the accident and was fine to race on Sunday for the Daytona 500, where he finished in second place behind champion Jimmie Johnson, who won the race for the second time. The runner-up finish for Earnhardt was his third time over the past four races.
"I was concerned just how my body was going to react to that," Earnhardt said. "I felt pretty good after the wreck and that evening and the next day felt awesome, and was able to get in the car. Everything came naturally and (I) was able to put together a good race."
