Earnhardt Jr. to wait a couple months before deciding to extend contract or retire

Saturday Dale Jr. talking to IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and his wife Courtney Force (NHRA star)

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the last year of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports. He plans to race for a couple of months, see how he feels, before he decides whether to sign up for more. After his time off, retirement no longer feels like a distant notion. "I've done everything I ever thought I would do," he says. "I've done more than I thought I was capable of doing. I look at my trophies and can't believe they're mine." But his mind is still not quite settled. As much as his time off made him a better human being, it couldn't replace the feeling he gets inside a race car — that happiness at making so many other people happy. "I've had a hard time trying to find something that's comparable," he says. More at ESPN The Magazine

Earnhardt said the delay is not a sign he is ready to quit driving; rather, he just wants a couple months to figure out whether his health will allow him to continue racing beyond this season. "When I got hurt last year and what I saw it put the company through….I don't want to do that again," he told a group of reporters Saturday. "So I want to get some races under my belt and get confidence in my health before I can commit to him. I don't want to make any promises I can't deliver on." Earnhardt said he thinks he can race for "a couple" more years, but – despite asking himself the question – hasn't been able to put a date on exactly when he might stop (should his health allow him to keep going). JeffGluck.com