BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -
NASCAR
driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be missing two races after an injury.
In a press release issued on
Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports says Earnhardt will miss NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.
This is due to being diagnosed
with a concussion following the 25-car pileup on the last lap of Sunday's race
in Talladega.
Because he was able to drive his
car away from the accident, Earnhardt was not required to go to the care center
for an examination at the time.
The concussion diagnosis was made
Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte.
The injury ends NASCAR's most
popular driver's championship chances this season. By sitting out the next two
races, he'll most certainly finish last in the 12-driver Chase race.
Regan Smith will be the team's
substitute driver in the No. 88 car during the races at the Charlotte Motor
Speedway and in Kansas.
That move will give embattled
race car driver AJ Allmendinger his first race back on the track since he was
suspended for drug violations in July.
Phoenix Racing called
Allmendinger on Thursday and asked him to report immediately to Charlotte Motor
Speedway to drive the No. 51 Chevrolet. That was the car Smith was slated
to drive before Earnhardt's injury.
Allmendinger was suspended after
failing a random test for turned out to be Adderall, a prescription drug
typically used to treat attention deficit disorder.
He was reinstated by NASCAR last
month and is looking for a job for 2013 after being dropped by Penske Racing
three months ago.
Copyright 2012 WBRC. All rights reserved. WBTV contributed to this story.
Hendrick Motorsports says Earnhardt will miss NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. (Photo: HendrickMotorsports.com)
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