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Dale Jarrett on concussions: ‘I do struggle with memory loss’

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Dale Jarrett discusses his personal struggles with memory loss, as well as the difficult decisions that drivers are forced to make.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Concussions and how they’re diagnosed were pushed back into the spotlight this weekend with the news that Matt DiBenedetto was put into NASCAR’s concussion protocol and would miss the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The news brought criticism from Brad Keselowski about the nature of concussion diagnosis.

During NBC’s rain delay coverage of Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, analyst and Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett spoke about his experiences from concussions he suffered during his career.

“In three weeks, I will be 60 year old and I do struggle with memory loss, with things in my brain I know probably came from some of those concussions, that’s what I’ve been told,” said Jarrett, who retired from racing in 2008. “Would it have happened anyway without the concussions that I went through? I’m not sure.”

Jarrett directly addressed active drivers and told them to “appreciate” the protocols NASCAR has in place now that weren’t during his career.

“Appreciate that someone is looking after you in this day and time,” Jarrett said.