Earnhardt yields to Truex for practice

His neck still tightly wrapped in a gauze bandage, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ready to race again, at least for a few laps.

In pain and needing more time for burns on his legs and face to heal after a frightening crash last week, Earnhardt sat out Friday’s practice and qualifying at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, letting rookie Martin Truex Jr. take the wheel instead.

Earnhardt plans to get into his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for practice today and will start Sunday’s Siemens 300 to earn the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship points before giving up the driver’s seat to Truex.

“We just have to wait and see how this plays itself out,” Earnhardt said during a news conference, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Earnhardt said he hopes to be ready to race the entire 500 miles next week at Pocono.

•Ryan Newman, the last of 46 drivers to make qualifying attempts, knocked NASCAR Nextel Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson out of the top spot in qualifying for Sunday’s Nextel Cup race.

•Jamie McMurray grabbed the first pole of his NASCAR Busch Series career at the New Hampshire speedway.