Perhaps no one understands what Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going through better than Ricky Craven, who dealt with his own concussion issues throughout his NASCAR career.
Craven suffered serious injuries in a 1997 crash at Texas and dealt with post-concussion syndrome that caused him to miss most of the 1998 season and derailed his career. He retired at age 40 and knows better than most the long-term affects of concussions.
Craven listened to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s press conference at Darlington Raceway Sunday and came away with a couple of alarming conclusions.
One, Craven believes Earnhardt still faces a long road in his recovery and is not yet in any condition to predict when, or if, he will be able to return to racing.