Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Earnhardt Behind Wheel Again Reason For Blackouts Elusive

Hank Kurz Jr. Associated Press

Doctors never did find anything wrong with Dale Earnhardt in four days of examination, so they cleared him to return to his race car with no guarantee his sleepiness wouldn’t return.

That was good enough for NASCAR, and for drivers, too, many of whom said Friday they don’t fear sharing the track with Earnhardt. He qualified Friday for tonight’s NASCAR race in Richmond, Va.

After falling asleep at the wheel twice before the start of Sunday’s Southern 500, Earnhardt crashed in the first turn. He later was disoriented, had double vision and couldn’t recall the next hour and a half.

Defending Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte said what happened to Earnhardt is not unlike a situation a friend endured about five years ago.

“They spent a week doing all kinds of tests on him, never found anything wrong with him and it’s never happened to him again,” said Labonte, who enters tonight’s Exide 400 fourth in the points standings. “I’m happy they didn’t find anything wrong.”

Dale Jarrett, third in the standings, said concerns about his safety and a chance to win a championship are secondary to those he has for Earnhardt.

“I’m thinking of his safety,” Jarrett said. “The championship, nothing else matters. We’re talking about a person here. This other stuff’s just fun and games.”

Jarrett and others also suggested that many drivers probably have similar experiences occasionally, but without crashing and drawing attention.

“Later in races, you get times where you’ve been breathing carbon monoxide all day or all night and it’s just like you forget a lap or two,” Jarrett said. “You don’t remember it happening, but it did.”

“This is something that normally happens to a lot of people,” Rusty Wallace said. “It just happened to him when the whole world was looking.”

Ernie Irvan knows that feeling very well.

When he returned from a near-fatal crash last season, Irvan was possibly the most closely scrutinized driver in Winston Cup history. That will change tonight, when attention will be riveted on the No. 3 Chevrolet at the start.

“If he just bumps somebody, they’re going to say, ‘He must have passed out or something,”’ said Irvan, who has won three times since his return.

Even another episode wouldn’t necessarily be dangerous, he said.

“What are the odds that he’s going to be exactly by you if something happens?” Irvan said. “Those are very small odds, and I know if he feels comfortable about going racing, that’s the most important thing.”