James: Dale Earnhardt Jr. relishes chance to return on his terms

CHARLOTTE – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not one of the most incomparably interesting figures in sports simply because of an extremely interesting backstory.

In brief summation: he followed his late father and one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR history into the family business, fought to escape that long shadow by leaving the family team and grew into a man in the harsh glare of scrutiny and expectation. He won the Daytona 500 twice and rounded into a championship contender late in his career. That career could have ended last season because of concussions.

Earnhardt, 42, is one of the most a compelling figures in sports because of the perspective his experience brings to both the mundane and momentous, and his willingness — almost a cathartic need — to share.

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“Junior,” recently married, rejuvenated and eager judging by the pop in his stride, had much to share on Wednesday during the NASCAR media tour, another one of those seemingly pedestrian chores he’s undertaken in 18 seasons at the sport’s highest level. Attending an October race as part of his concussion rehabilitation allowed him a further glimpse, he said, of what he missed.

“I got a chance to be at Dover and watch the drivers come in that morning for practice and it was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “It was an out-of-body experience almost to watch all that happen. Looking at them and knowing that was me. I got to see the drivers from a different point of view and got to see the sport from a different point of view.

“Being out of the car made me anxious to get back in.”

Earnhardt, who missed half of the 36-race schedule last season, could step out of a car at a test next week at Phoenix feeling not right and have another decision to make. Or that could happen during Speed Weeks at Daytona in February. It may never happen again, but the nefarious nature of concussions will always cast doubt. But for now, he’s healthy and ready to return, he said. And he’s thankful for the opportunity to make a decision.

“I got real close to not being able to compete and it being someone else’s decision whether I competed or not,” he said.”People have asked me since I turned 40 when I would retire, and all I wanted to do was make that choice myself. I don’t know when I’m going to stop racing, but I want to able to make that choice and not have it made for me. All that stuff really showed me how much I have going for me and how fun this really is.”

So much fun that he seemed disappointment when a stringently enforced schedule had him deposed from the stage as he was just limbering up on Wednesday.

"I would have stayed longer," he said.

Earnhardt plans to stay a lot longer this season, and he realize what it means to him.

Follow James on Twitter @brantjames

PHOTOS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. through the years