Dale Jr. living a driver's nightmare

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't want to climb out of the No. 88 car this weekend -- or any weekend.

Finally, the pieces had come together. In his fifth season at Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt had blossomed under the direction of crew chief Steve Letarte. Earnhardt had led the point standings for the first time in eight years. After a four-season drought, he returned to Victory Lane. And for the second consecutive season, Earnhardt had earned a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

In 2012, Earnhardt finally had a legitimate shot at the championship -- until Sunday.

What appeared to be a relatively benign crash -- at least by Talladega Superspeedway standards -- compounded symptoms from an earlier accident Earnhardt experienced during a tire test at Kansas Speedway on Aug. 29.

On Wednesday, Earnhardt was diagnosed with a concussion. Consequently, he withdrew from the next two races on the Sprint Cup schedule -- Charlotte and Kansas.

"It's frustrating," Earnhardt said. "I really didn'

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/dale_jr_living_a_drivers_nightmare/11938954

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