CONCORD, N.C. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not compete in Sunday's New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the team announced Friday.
The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet was not cleared by doctors in Charlotte after experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Alex Bowman will be the team's substitute driver in Sunday's race.
"I wasn't feeling great the week going into Kentucky (Speedway) and thought it was possibly severe allergies," Earnhardt said. "I saw a family doctor and was given medication for allergies and a sinus infection. When that didn't help, I decided to dig a little deeper. Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out.
The team has not yet announced when Earnhardt will return to competition. An update will be provided next week regarding plans for the July 24 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"I'm proud of Dale for standing up," said team owner Rick Hendrick. "The number-one priority is his health, so we're going to give him all the time he needs. We completely support the decision by the doctors and will be ready to go win races when he's 100 percent. In the meantime, we have full confidence in Greg [Ives] and the team, and we know they'll do a great job."
Earnhardt is currently 13th in Sprint Cup points, 22 markers ahead of Jamie McMurray for the final spot in the 2016 Chase.