Yahoo Sports 
All drivers who crash out of NASCAR races must take immediate concussion exam
NASCAR will administer on-site concussion tests for all drivers who are no longer able to compete in a race because of crash damage.
The sanctioning body announced Friday afternoon that it would mandate the assessment of a SCAT-3 (Sports Concussion Assessment Tool) examination to any driver whose car has gone behind the wall because of a crash.
Starting in 2017, teams cannot work on crashed cars in the garage and return them to a race. Once a car is taken off the the track because of a crash it cannot return and the driver must head to the infield care center for an examination.
The combination of mandatory concussion tests and requirement of all drivers with crashed out cars to go to the infield care center is a big departure from previous protocol. Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed the second half of the 2016 season after he suffered a concussion from a hard hit at Michigan.
But Junior drove his car to the garage for repairs at Michigan and also did so when he was involved in a crash two races later at Daytona. Because he drove his car to the garage, he didn’t have to go to the infield care center. And thus, there was no opportunity to examine him for a concussion.
Junior competed at Kentucky after his Daytona crash, but initially felt he was suffering from sinus issues. Further testing showed he had a concussion and he ended up missing the rest of the season.
At Texas in November, Matt DiBenedetto was held out of the Cup Series race for concussion concerns after he crashed in the Xfinity Series race the day before. DiBenedetto waited for traffic to clear before exiting the car and was suffering from a stiff knee as he walked away.
DiBenedetto, who said he felt fine and that doctors were erring on the side of caution, was cleared to race two days after the Texas race after going through NASCAR’s concussion protocol.
NASCAR instituted preseason baseline concussion testing for all drivers in 2014. The baseline tests are used to provide a standard for other concussion tests. If a driver scores lower on a test than compared to the baseline, it’s a sign that he or she could have a concussion.
The baseline tests came two seasons after Junior missed two races because of concussion issues. He suffered a concussion in an August test and then was involved in a crash at Talladega.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
