CONCORD, N.C. -- NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr., who missed the final 18 races of last season because of a concussion, has been medically cleared to return next year.Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Earnhardt will take part in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 26.Dr. Micky Collins, medical director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program in Pittsburgh, in consultation with Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty, cleared the 42-year-old driver Wednesday following a test session at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Petty attended the session.Dale is one of the hardest-working patients Ive ever encountered, Collins said. Hes done everything weve asked, and we believe he is ready to compete at a professional level again and can withstand the normal forces of a race car driver. Dale has been very open with us, and weve had plenty of time for his treatment, so we feel very good about his long-term prospects and how this has been managed by everyone involved.Earnhardt completed 185 laps during a nearly five-hour session at Darlington under the guidance of his Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Greg Ives. In addition to the on-track test, which was observed by NASCAR, the driver has logged more than 15 hours in a racing simulator during his recovery.I feel great, and Im excited to officially be back, Earnhardt said. I expected things to go really well (Wednesday), and thats exactly what happened. Actually getting in a race car was an important final step, and it gives me a ton of confidence going into 2017.Earnhardt said he would do more testing in January to help knock the rust off ahead of the season-opening race he has won twice.When its time to go to Daytona, Ill be ready, he said.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org Adidas Crazy Byw Level 1 . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. NMD CS1 Pk City Sock . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. http://www.swiftrunireland.com/yeezy-powerphase.html . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. NMD R1 Mens Shoes Ireland . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. NMD R2 Primeknit White Red .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Floridas biggest weakness last season looks like it could be a strength now.Justin Leon scored a career-high 17 points, KeVaughn Allen added 13 and the Gators handled Mercer 76-54 on Sunday night.Playing in Jacksonville for the second time in three days, Florida (2-0) celebrated another lopsided victory. Leon, Allen and the Gators improved free-throw shooting had a lot to do with the latest one.Leon was 6-of-10 shooting, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and had five rebounds. Allen was 3-of-12 shooting and made all five of his free throws. He added five assists, three boards, two blocks and two steals.Maybe the biggest positive for Florida was its free-throw shooting. The Gators, who ranked 323rd (out of 346 teams) in the NCAA from the stripe last season, hit 20 of 26 in the season opener and then 24 of 30 against Mercer.Hopefully a season-long trend, Florida coach Mike White said. Wed take that in a heartbeat. It feels good to see that thing go in. ... I know its got to feel good for our guys, especially the guys that have struggled in the past and are seeing the rewards of their labor.Rian Holland led the Bears (1-1) with 21 points. Jordan Strawberry, the son of former Major Leaguer Darryl Strawberry, finished with four points.Mercer trimmed a 24-point deficit to 49-34 midway through the second half, but Florida answered with a 15-5 spurt that pushed the lead to 25. The Gators coasted from there, offsetting 36 percent shooting with 20 offensive rebounds and 22 points off 17 turnovers.You can tell they still have another place they can go, Mercer coach Bob Hoffman said. They definitely havent arrived yet. ... I think that teams going to be really special, and theyve only begun. Ive seen a lot of good teams. Im an old dude as you can see by my gray hair, and that team has the pieces to be special.ddddddddddddI will definitely enjoy watching them now that I wont be playing them.Devin Robinson chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds for Florida, which had all 12 players score.It feels good when everybody gets to pick off the tree, Leon said.BIG PICTUREMercer: A preseason pick to finish third in the Southern Conference (behind Chattanooga and Wofford), the Bears have enough talent to do well in league play. Venturing out against power conferences could be a tougher challenge, evidenced by the performance against Florida.Florida: Although playing against an overmatched opponent, the Gators showed again they have the talent and depth to return to -- and maybe make a run in -- the NCAA Tournament after a two-year hiatus.STAR WATCHTwo Basketball Hall of Famers were on hand for the game. Artis Gilmore, who lives in Jacksonville, and Rick Barry, whose youngest son, Canyon, plays for Florida, spent time chatting in the stands at halftime.ROAD WARRIORSThe Gators have won two neutral-site games and will have plenty more chances to build a solid resume. This was the second of 11 consecutive games outside Gainesville for the Gators, who are waiting on completion of a $64.5 million renovation to the OConnell Center. Their nonconference schedule includes neutral-site matchups against Seton Hall, Duke and maybe Gonzaga. They also play at Florida State. That slate could benefit the Gators when it comes time for the NCAA Tournament.UP NEXTMercer gets a week off before playing at Georgia Southern next Sunday, the first of three games in six days.Florida plays St. Bonaventure in Lakeland on Thursday night.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China NFL Jerseys China ' ' '