CONCORD, N.C. -- When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not cleared by doctors to race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway due to concussion-like symptoms, the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS took to Twitter to speak directly to his fans.
While he stayed away from the track, he made sure to root on his teammates at the New England venue, including the fill-in driver in the No. 88 Chevy, Alex Bowman.
Earnhardt watched as Bowman raced his way inside the top 10 with less than 30 laps remaining in the 301-lap event.
But a tire issue caused the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet to make contact with the wall, sending Bowman to pit road for repairs. As soon as Bowman returned to the track, Earnhardt sent out another tweet.
Bowman ultimately finished 26th, and as soon as he climbed out of the car, he made sure to thank Hendrick Motorsports for the opportunity.
“I hate the circumstances, obviously, and I hope Dale is feeling better," he said. "I’m just so appreciative of the opportunity to be here. I’m really disappointed to end our day that way, but we showed we were a top-10 car all day long."
And he appreciated Earnhardt's tweet when he saw it shortly thereafter.