Earnhardt Released from Hospital
2 September 1997
EARNHARDT RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AND READY TO RACE KANNAPOLIS, NC - Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt was released today from McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, SC after undergoing a battery of tests. Earnhardt was involved in a first-lap incident in Sunday's running of the Mountain Dew Southern 500 that left the 46-year-old Kannapolis, NC native dazed and confused. After being transferred to the McLeod Regional Medical Center, Earnhardt's apparent blackout became somewhat of a mystery to doctors. Earnhardt himself is still baffled. "I don't know what happened. I just don't know. I feel great now. They've run all kinds of tests on me, checked me out and I feel fine. I'm ready to go racing," he stated. A number of tests were performed on Earnhardt prior to his release this afternoon. According to a hospital spokesman, the doctors could find nothing wrong. Dr. Joseph Healy, Jr., M.D., head of neurology, stated, "There are some additional tests that could be performed as a precaution on an outpatient basis." Earnhardt, who was replaced by Mike Dillon in the GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet Monte Carlo on Sunday, was credited with 30th-place in the Mountain Dew Southern 500. Earnhardt is grateful to maintain his streak of completing all events so far in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup season. Earnhardt added, "Mike did a good job for us on Sunday. It had to be a little confusing for everyone involved but obviously cooler heads prevailed and we were able to maintain sixth in the points standings." Earnhardt's biggest regret is that the incident prevented him from completing an annual tradition at a nearby racetrack. "Actually I was supposed to be in Greenville, SC to sign autographs this morning. I want to apologize to all of those folks down there at the Greeville-Pickens Speedway. We were tyring to get through all of this red tape and get out of the hospital this morning. According to these doctors, we're going to come up a little short in that department. We're still waiting for a couple of tests to wrap up and we can go home. I guess it's just one more reason you never want to get sick. It's too time consuming. They said I was fine though, so I'm ready to get back to racing." By Champion Sports Group