NASCAR Earnhardt is expected to race despite injuries

He suffered a concussion and sprained foot, and requires a doctor's approval.
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expected to race at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, even though NASCAR has not yet medically cleared him to compete.
Earnhardt suffered a minor concussion and sprained right foot in a wreck Sunday in Dover, Del. He needs a doctor to approve he is fit to drive before he's allowed on the track, and NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said Earnhardt had not been cleared as of Tuesday.
"It's our understanding he has seen a doctor and is feeling fine, but we don't expect to make any sort of decisions about him until [today], at the earliest," Hunter said.
The medical policy
NASCAR's policy of medically clearing a driver was put in place partially because of Earnhardt, who admitted last season he thought he was suffering from lingering effects of a concussion in several races.
Since then, NASCAR has required all drivers to receive written medical clearance from a doctor the sanctioning body approves of before the driver can compete.
Earnhardt missed an appearance Tuesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he was scheduled to help track officials promote next month's race.
"We understand he's on crutches, but we were hoping he could still come out," track spokesman Jerry Gappens said. "But he needs to stay home and rest, and hopefully he'll be able to compete this weekend."
Win would be record
Earnhardt is seeking a record fifth consecutive victory this weekend at Talladega. Including the Busch Series event in April, Earnhardt has won five of the last five races he's entered at the 2.66-mile super-speedway.
According to his Web site, he spent Monday at his Dale Earnhardt Inc. race shop making adjustments to the No. 8 Chevrolet that would allow him maximum comfort in the race car.
Earnhardt was injured late in Sunday's race, crashing hard into the wall. He was briefly knocked out and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He finished 37th in the race, and dropped from second to fourth in the Winston Cup standings.
He was evaluated Monday in North Carolina by neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty, and those results were forwarded to NASCAR.