Doug Barnes Jr will not be racing on Friday at North Wilkesboro Speedway with the CARS Tour. Barnes is experiencing symptoms from a concussion suffered in the wake of a violent crash during a private testing session last week at the speedway.
Barnes took to his YouTube channel to break the news.
“I will not be racing,” Barnes said bluntly that beginning of the video. “Last Saturday we tested here… it was an open test getting ready for the weekend and on the second lap my throttle hung. I don’t have any video of this, it was just a test… it was just supposed to be a chill day where we got some notes but on the second lap my throttle hung going into turn one, and I completely destroyed the outside wall. It totaled the racecar, the racecar will never race again.”
He continued, “The biggest issue is that I got a pretty bad concussion out of it. I also sprained my foot, but my foot is good now.”
This development comes after Barnes began the day by running the first round of CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car practice, posting a time that slotted him in 31st after his second lap on track. He did not post a time in the final session.
Following practice, Barnes recorded his video prior to exiting the speedway, wherein he explained his symptoms immediately following the crash.
“I went to the hospital that day; I actually left the track in an ambulance and I could barely get out a sentence… I couldn’t speak words properly. I was not very articulate whatsoever.”
After being released from the hospital and taking a bit of time to rest, Barnes continued preparing for this weekend with his normal fitness regimen, and said he felt fine in doing so.
The outlook of his weekend at North Wilkesboro instantly changed after his first lap on track during practice.
“On my first lap getting into the corner I just had extreme tunnel vision and [now] I can’t see properly. I just completely re-aggravated the concussion because now I just feel like complete shit.”
Barnes will take the time he needs to tend to his symptoms, seeking out the appropriate specialists and doctors, with the goal of returning to the cockpit by the next race at Hickory Motor Speedway in August. That means he’ll also miss the next round of the Virginia Triple Crown at Langley; the Hampton Heat 200 on July 25th.
“I’m going to take the next couple weeks, and I’m going to see a specialist to see if I can focus on returning by Hickory, of course the bumpiest track coming up,” he said with a laugh.
Barnes mentioned that Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Kip Childress have all extended their hands in helping Barnes line up specialists to aide in his recovery.
“As shitty as this sounds, I think it’s the correct decision,” he added. “I don’t want to miss it; I really do want to be here. It is what it is. I can’t unstick my throttle from a week ago. I’m not even a week removed from crashing into the fence at 140 mph.”
