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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JULY 05: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, walks down the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images)
via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JULY 05: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, walks down the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images)
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch has missed out on three consecutive races due to concussion-like symptoms, and as it turns out, he will not be able to race for the 4th time as well.
To give some context, Kurt Busch slammed hard into the outside wall during his qualifying session at Pocono Raceway last month. Later on, it was reported that Busch was suffering from concussion-like symptoms. The symptoms were reminiscent of what Dale Earnhardt Jr. faced during his career.
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Recently, he let out a statement regarding the current stature of his health.
Dale Earnhardt Jr who previously also suffered similar concussions during his career which saw him out of races for half a season, retweeted Kurt’s statement and issued a word of support.
Seeing this, NASCAR fans thanked and agreed with Earnhardt Jr.
The original statement said, “Brain injury recovery doesn’t always take a linear path. I’ve been feeling well in my recovery, but this week I pushed to get my heart rate and body in a race simulation type environment, and it’s clear I’m not ready to be back in the race car.”
'@KurtBusch will be out of the car for the fourth straight race. @TyGibbs_ is back in the No. 45 car this weekend at @RichmondRaceway.
Busch notes he's been feeling well, but also "brain injury recovery doesn't always take a linear path." #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ryNFwOMcXT
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 10, 2022
Responding to this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote, “Kurt’s patience and transparency is a massive relief. I’m so thankful he is making sure he will be 100% for a return.“
Kurt’s patience and transparency is a massive relief. I’m so thankful he is making sure he will be 100% for a return. https://t.co/QXTOpYIPKY
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) August 10, 2022
NASCAR fans thanked and also agreed with Earnhardt for Busch to be transparent with the nature of his injuries.
Thank you for being as open and transparent about your own battles as you were. It's going to do a lot of good for the long-term health of drivers today and in the future
— Mearn (@mearn) August 10, 2022
I agree Jr.I'm happy he's shedding more light on the seriousness of concussions,as you did. It says a lot he's not hiding or rushing it & sharing his recovery journey with everyone.@KurtBusch,I can wait until you're back 100%!Your health & safety are top priority for me as a fan!
— Shawn Bryant (@sbryant1977) August 10, 2022
I think @KurtBusch is able to take these steps and admit what is going on because of your example and leadership in dealing with concussions. Kudos to you telling your story with @ESPNMcGee it will save lives.
— Sami Abbas (@sami_p_abbas) August 10, 2022
I think seeing your battles really opened the eyes of everyone in the sport to take this stuff more seriously. So thank you.
— 🏁 Allen Bedgood 🇺🇸 (@RacingBedgood) August 10, 2022
Watch This Story: From Kurt Buschs F**ked Up Rant to Kyle Larson’s Tire Blowout Dover Highlights
I'm thankful Nascar has grown enough to take this serious so that Kurt can heal & not feel pressured to jump in the car the next for fear of losing his ride or being ostracized. I'm not sure if 15-20 years this would have been the case. Probably not given the time to heal.
— Darren K Collom (@DarrenCollom) August 10, 2022
Agreed @DaleJr. I hope it doesn’t shorten his career any post recovery. Even if he did plan to retire next season. I hope he doesn’t have to expedite that timeline.
— KELLISFH (@kellisfh) August 10, 2022
Fellow NASCAR drivers talk about safety concerns after Kurt Busch’s concussions
After Kurt Busch’s hard hit at Pocono Raceway, other drivers such as Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin voiced their concerns regarding drivers’ safety.
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PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 11: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, walks away from pit road following an on-track incident during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Both drivers stated that the impacts this year with the new generation of cars feel very harder.
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Harvick mentioned that the best people to ask would be the drivers who feel the impacts firsthand. During an interview, Denny Hamlin spoke about Kurt Busch’s hit and said that he “has taken a lot of hits over 25 Gs. The body can only take so much.“
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Meanwhile, on the other hand, NASCAR officials are saying that they have been looking at the data and the driver’s feedback and working towards improving the all-new cars.
We certainly hope that this issue is swiftly rectified so that incidents like that of Busch do not repeat themselves for another driver in the future.
