Dale Earnhardt Jr. meets with concussion expert, Steelers coach

• The visit was part of the most popular driver in NASCAR's rehab plan
• Earnhardt is still expected to return to Martinsville Speedway next weekend
• Photographic evidence also surfaced of Earnhardt meeting Steelers coach Mike Tomlin

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s visit to a renowned concussion expert in Pittsburgh was part of the sidelined driver's original rehabilitation plan, according to his team.

Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that Earnhardt, who announced last week he would miss two Sprint Cup races because of concussion symptoms, was in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to meet with Dr. Micky Collins of the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.

The trip was one step in the plan scheduled last week by Dr. Jerry Petty, who accompanied Earnhardt to Pittsburgh. After suffering two concussions in six weeks, NASCAR's most popular driver was sat for two Sprint Cup races by Petty.

Earnhardt missed last week's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway won't compete this weekend at Kansas Speedway. However, he was expected to return to the No. 88 Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway next week.

Last Thursday, Petty said a key step in the recovery process will be for Earnhardt to go "four or five days" without a headache. "Then we'll give him some sort of test like to get his pulse rate up, see if we can provoke a headache, and then if we can't, we'll let him go out and drive a lap or two and see how that goes," Petty said. "And if that goes well, we'll probably clear him to race."

Testing wasn't the only item on Earnhardt's agenda Tuesday. The Twitter account for the Pittsburgh Steelers sent a photo of Earnhardt, a vocal fan of the Washington Redskins, shaking hands with head coach Mike Tomlin.