DOVER, Del. -- This weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his way to Dover International Speedway -- and his teammates are excited to see him around the track once again.
"Especially the No. 88 group, for those guys to see him at the racetrack and there supporting them, I’m sure it has to mean a lot to those guys," Chase Elliott said. "I think as a company it does, but definitely centered around the No. 88 group I 100 percent think it would, for sure.”
On his "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Earnhardt noted that watching the race from atop a pit box will be "different," but he's eager to root on his teammates on Sunday.
"It’s a bit weird to be not in the car but at the track when you’re a driver," he said. "You don’t know what to do with yourself. But I’m going to try to support the guys and maybe learn a thing or two."
Friday in the media center at Dover, Johnson said he sympathized with his teammate's sentiments.
“I completely understand how difficult it is to come to the track and feel productive," he said. "I can only imagine how hard it is to go to the track and watch your car race."
But he pointed to just how "deeply involved" Earnhardt has been in all aspects of the organization despite his absence from the No. 88 Chevrolet SS while continuing to recover from a concussion.
From attending team meetings to visiting the shop and staying involved in weekly discussions as the teams prepare for upcoming races, Earnhardt has stayed in touch.
Having him at the track this weekend, Johnson said, is just another positive step in the right direction.
"I’ve seen a lot of him and I know he’s dying to get back in the race car and eager to feel amazing again," he said, "and I think he’s on a great road of progress right now.”