Earnhardt sits after concussions
Tony Stewart (14) flips over as Kasey Kahne (5), Clint Bowyer (15), Dave Blaney (36), Terry Labonte (32), Regan Smith (78), Jeff Burton (31), Jimmie Johnson (48), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Paul Menard (27) and David Ragan (34) crash around him during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Dale Davis)
Dale Earnhardt Jr, right, talks about missing the next two races with his second concussion in the past six weeks during a news conference prior to practice for Saturday's NASCAR Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. Team owner Rick Hendrick, left, looks on. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Dale Earnhardt Jr, center, talks about missing the next two races with his second concussion in the past six weeks as team owner Rick Hendrick, left, and crew chief Steve Letarte, right, look on during a news conference prior to practice for Saturday's NASCAR Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
CONCORD, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. knew he had suffered a concussion in an August crash so jolting that other drivers tweeted about it immediately after the impact.
Earnhardt was too stubborn to see a doctor about it. He was too worried he would be yanked from his car, derailing his long-suffering Sprint Cup Championship hopes.
