Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove with concussion during Talladega race

Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted on Thursday (Oct. 11) during a press conference that he had suffered a concussion back in August during a tire test, but it wasn't diagnosed until Wednesday -- three days after he was involved in a last-lap 25-car pileup at Talladega Superspeedway.

Earnhardt will be sidelined for the next two Sprint Cup races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway due to the concussion symptoms he experienced following Sunday's crash. USA Today reports that he seemed dazed after exiting his Impala on Sunday.  

"The wreck at Kansas was really severe and it surprised me how tough it was to get past that," Earnhardt says. "I remember everything about that accident and everything after that accident, but you know your body and how your mind works, and I knew something was just not quite right. I decided to just try to push through and work through it."  

Regan Smith will drive Earnhardt's car at Charlotte and Kansas.