Should NASCAR Treat All Wrecks With Enforced Medical Reviews?

With the advent of Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepping out of the No. 88 car for the next few weeks, we saw that he had two good hits within 5 weeks of each other.  But after both hits, Dale Jr. wasn't forced to see a doctor by NASCAR, but rather, went on his own after a few days of headaches.

I don't want to say that NASCAR has to, but when they think they only had 9 concussions in their athletes over the last 5 years, I have to seriously wonder about that, considering how many hard hits are taken over the course of a month of racing.  And from what the empirical evidence says just from Dale Jr. alone, I'm thinking drivers aren't ready to report their headaches every time they have them.

As NASCAR rules state (If I'm recalling correctly), if a driver cannot drive the car back to the pits after a wreck, they have to go to the infield care center.  But I question out-loud, if they have the same rules during other track time like tire tests?  Or if they should start enforcing specific tests for any driver that hits the wall/gets spun etc.?

I get it when an athlete does not want to say, hey, look at me, the world is spinning and my head hurts!  (TV Ad:  Football player goes down, coach asks what his name is.  "I'm Batman!"  Remember that Snickers ad?)  Their livelihood is at stake, at many levels.  If a driver gets pulled every season for head spinning, would a sponsor want to stick with them?  What does that do to a team?

I just wonder, despite the old-school "man up" mode of drivers, if they're doing themselves long-term harm and, if in the short haul, putting other folk (drivers and fans) at risk?  I've driven a stock car doing 120-150 mph headed into the turns of CA Speedway. It felt like someone was doing chin-ups on my right arm while I was in the corners & my world started spinning from that simple maneuver and I was healthy!  Trained/experienced drivers may not have the same effect, but if they're spun up from a brain injury and experiencing multi-g turns, I have to wonder.

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This weekend and next, it looks like Regan Smith will be piloting the No. 88 Chevy. and A.J. Allmendinger gets back in a seat, in the No. 51 for Smith.  Despite all other worrisome news, this is the time both these boys need to shine.

[http://www.neurosurgery.pitt.edu/research/neurotrauma.html]