Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals the HEARTBREAK drivers experience after getting released from the NASCAR infield care center
The NASCAR infield care center is a facility dedicated to emergency medical evaluation after incidents on track.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Credits: countrymusicnation.com)
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has explained the feelings drivers have once they are released from infield care center after a crash, and the harsh reality of race results kicks in. The premier stock car racing championship is known for its aggressive driving style and multi-car crashes. One wrong move on the track cost the team millions and the drivers the championship glory.
Aggressive racing comes with huge health and safety risks as well. That’s why NASCAR has an infield care center on every race track. As soon as a wreck or crash occurs in a race, highly qualified professionals will shift drivers to the facility for evolution. Once released from the care center, drivers can join their team and evaluate what went wrong.
Dale Jr. pointed the experience once drivers get out of the facility is a bit heartbreaking as then only they will realize the fact that the results are going to be poor and they will have to wait a whole week to redeem themselves on the track. He added that explaining the situation to the media after the incident was also hectic.
“And they’re like, ‘Hey, you feeling, OK?’ And you’re like, ‘Yeah, doing alright.’ Then, I’ll be honest with you, in that moment right there the heartbreak sets in of the actual fact that you crashed and you’re out of the race, right?” Dale Jr. said.
“The result is going to suck. You have to wait all week to go back to the racetrack to redeem yourself. It’s like this right as you’re walking out of that medical center. You’re like, oh yeah, the reality of all of this is that I had a terrible day. A terrible result. And then you end up walking into a media scrum or something like that, trying to explain what’s going on,” Dale Jr. added.
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Dale Jr. says that the infield care center is a surreal experience
The JRM co-owner pointed out that having a medical evaluation in the infield care center is a different experience as there will be many drivers in different moods simultaneously. He added that the examiners asked multiple questions about the incident to better understand the driver’s state of mind, and the situation was also a unique experience.
“And the times that I’ve actually been in there where there’s a multi-car crash, it’s interesting because every driver is in a different state of mind. Guy might be in there madder than hell. Somebody might be in there not in too bad of a mood,” Dale Jr. said.
“But it’s a really surreal moment when you’re all sitting there and everybody’s kind of getting checked out. They check your pulse and give you a good kind of physical exam and ask you a lot of questions. And they’re watching you listening to you answer questions, listening to how you’re responding, paying attention,” Dale Jr added.
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