Bruised From Plane Crash, Dale Jr. To Race In Darlington

MOORESVILLE, NC — One week after surviving a fiery plane crash in Tennessee, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. confirmed he still plans to race in the 200-mile long NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Darlington, South Carolina on Aug. 31.

“Yes, I plan on driving still,” he said Aug. 21. “My lower back is bruised up real bad. Lots of swelling and I just need that to go down and the pain to chill out,” he said.

Earnhardt said he has been treating the area of his injured back every day “solely to get well to race,” adding, “I have a plan B but hope not to use it.”

The National Transportation Board is investigating the crash of the Mooresville-registered private plane carrying Earnhardt, his wife, 1-year-old daughter and dog after it crashed at the end of a runway in Tennessee Aug. 15.

Earnhardt and his family were on the Cessna Citation when it rolled off the end of the runway and caught on fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee, according to the FAA. The aircraft was registered under the code N8JRto JRM Air LLC in Mooresville, the homebase of Earnhardt's race team, JR Motorsports, The Tenneessean reported.

RELATED: NTSB To Investigate Fiery Crash Of Dale Jr.'s Private Plane

According to WJHL, Earnhardt Jr. was taken to the hospital following the crash. Injuries on the plane were described as cuts and abrasions, according to ESPN.

Earnhardt, who retains notoriety as one of the sport's most popular drivers, retired as a NASCAR Cup series driver at the end of the 2017 season, and occasionally returns to the track to race for his own team, JR Motorsports. He is also currently a NASCAR analyst for NBC Sports.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ 2019 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is Aug. 31 at 4 p.m., and will be televised on NBC.

Patch Editor Feroze Dhanoa contributed.