LOUDON, N.H. -- He was one of NASCARs first superstars, but Fred Lorenzens memories of his Hall of Fame career have dimmed as he battles dementia. His Daytona 500 victory, the wins he piled up to become NASCARs first $100,000 driver, his life on the road, all have been largely extinguished.Lorenzen still has flickering moments when he remembers his days as NASCARs Golden Boy -- called that for his rugged, movie-star looks. Like in recent years, when he visits Chicago Speedway, not far from his assisted living facility.His face just lights up when hes there, said his daughter, Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom.Nearly 45 years after his last Cup race, Lorenzen hoped he could still make his mark on the NASCAR community. Inspired by Dale Earnhardt Jr.s decision to pledge his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Lorenzen became the second known driver to make the same decision.Gardstrom made it official Friday with a pledge to Legacy co-founder Chris Nowinski. As auto racing grapples with the issue of concussions and head trauma, one of NASCARs pioneers is now alongside Earnhardt in the donation queue.As a family, we decided we wanted to support Dale Junior and all work together toward a healthy future for these drivers, she told The Associated Press.Earnhardts concussion history -- he missed two races in 2012 -- spurred his decision to pledge his brain to the Legacy, a group that works with Boston University on research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative disease that doctors believe is caused by repeated blows to the head.Gardstrom is convinced the 81-year-old Lorenzen has CTE as a result of years of brutal wrecks and hits in the 1960s, one of the most dangerous eras in racing history. Lorenzen won the Daytona 500 in 1965.He never stopped to heal, she said.She wants to help, and knows her father does, too, and to advance the understanding of concussions and their treatment in NASCAR.Its the younger generation that we really need to educate, she said. Theyre young, theyre hungry, but when they get in a wreck and get a concussion, they know if they dont get back in the car, someone else is going to take it. We want to change the culture of the sport.Earnhardt has become the face of concussion awareness in sports and will skip Sundays Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because of concussion symptoms. There is no timetable for when NASCARs most popular driver might return.The 41-year-old Earnhardt had already intended to be an organ donor, so he said in April that giving up his brain made sense. Earnhardt said he was motivated by reading about three former Oakland Raiders who donated their brains in honor of teammate Ken Stabler, who died in 2015. The quarterbacks brain showed signs of CTE.I think the protocols and the advances that we have made in trying to protect ourselves are great things, Earnhardt said at his pledge announcement. Im excited about what NASCAR has done. They have really taken this head-on.Gardstrom felt the same sense of motivation when she read about Earnhardts pledge. She said Lorenzen, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, first showed signs of dementia about a decade ago. He has memory loss and uses a wheelchair at Oak Brook Healthcare in Illinois.The Elmhurst, Illinois, native was one of NASCARs first stars to hail from outside the sports Southern roots.The hardest part right now is that his racing memories are starting to go, Gardstrom said. That was the one thing that was really wonderful, to connect and see him light up when he talked about racing.Shed like to see others in the sport talk more about concussions.That hasnt necessarily been a hot topic of conversation in any of our meetings, Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch said.Six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was part of a 54-member panel that picked Lorenzen for induction into the hall. Johnson has yet to consider donating his brain to the Legacy.I am an organ donor so it wouldnt bother me to do that, but its something Ive not taken steps in and have not discussed at all, he said.In the 15 years since the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. at the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR has introduced a series of measures designed to keep drivers safe, from helmet and restraint systems to impact-absorbing barriers along concrete walls, all designed to cushion high-impact blows.NASCAR also mandated in 2013 that drivers submit to baseline neurocognitive assessment. When a driver in NASCAR cant return his damaged car to the garage, a trip to the care center is required. Under a new three-step process, a driver showing any indication of a head injury must go immediately to a hospital. Concussed drivers must be cleared by an independent neurologist or neurosurgeon before they can get back in a race car.Gardstrom wants NASCAR to take even more steps.We dont have to wait until more drivers brains are studied to make a better concussion protocol, she said.Former athletes in other sports have sued their leagues, contending that the risks of concussions were hidden from them so they could return to competition. Gardstrom has no interest in a lawsuit.No money is going to bring my dad back, but what my goal now is, is to make sure the NASCAR family doesnt have to go through the similar things were going through now, she said.Lorenzen hasnt been forgotten by todays racing stars -- they appreciate a driver who won 26 times in the Cup series. Tony Stewart introduced Lorenzen at his hall induction. Jeff Gordon leaned in for a chat with Fearless Freddie last year at Chicagoland before the race.He was such a humble guy, that I dont think he ever realized what an impact he had on the sport, Gardstrom said. Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. http://www.cheapnbajerseyssigned.com/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Authentic Nike NBA Gear . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Discount Nike NBA Jerseys . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl felt like a winner two days before his team even plays its first game.The Tigers assured themselves one of the nations top recruiting classes when the early signing period began Wednesday. It is headlined by top-10 prospect Austin Wiley, whose parents both starred for Auburn, and includes four-star prospects Davion Mitchell and Chuma Okeke.This class is historic, said Pearl, who is trying to bounce back from an 11-20 mark in his second season with the Tigers. It started with Austin Wiley, about a year and a half ago, committing to us prior to his junior year. ... He had offers from everywhere, but he wanted to be an Auburn man.His mother, Vickie, was an All-American for the Tigers. His father, Aubrey, was a star rebounder.But Austin could have gone anywhere in the country, Pearl said. More importantly, he wanted to lead even before he got here. He knew that his verbal commitment might attract others. ... Now hes going to come here and add to the history and legacy of his father.Wiley, Mitchell and Okeke sent in signed letters of intent on the first day prospects are allowed. Some of the biggest names in this years class have yet to make their decisions.Unlike football, where signing day usually represents the finish line, it is merely the starting line in college basketball. The early period doesnt end until Nov. 16, and some will wait to see how things shake out at other schools before signing a letter of intent in the spring.Still, the early period gives some barometer for where schools are in their recruiting efforts:DESERT SWARM: Top-ranked prospect DeAndre Ayton, a 7-footer from Hillcrest Academy in Phoenix, leads Arizona coach Sean Millers star-studded class. He was expected to land letters of intent from three more top-100 recruits in Brandon Randolph, Ira Lee and Alex Barcello, and hes in the running for five-star swingmen Lonnie Walker and Brian Bowen, top guard Hamidou Diallo, and big man Brandon McCoy.PAC-12 POWER: Arizona may top the early returns, but its conference as a whole has been tearing up the recruiting trail. Oregon landed five-star guard Troy Brown despite overtures from Kansas, Georgetown and Alabama, while five-starr forward Michael Porter headlines a five-deep class at Washington.ddddddddddddPorter will be joined on coach Lorenzo Romars floor by four-star guards Jaylen Nowell and Daejon Davis, St. Louis-area forward Mamoudou Diarra and North Carolina guard Blake Harris.CHAMPS RELOAD: Villanova coach Jay Wright has reeled in 6-foot-6 forward Jermaine Samuels, who appears tailor-made to replace senior Josh Hart. Wright also hooked Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, a somewhat undersized post player from Philadelphia, who had offers up and down the East Coast.Villanova is also in the running for Walker and Philly guard Quade Green.BLUEBLOODS HUNTING: Duke has only one commitment in Georgia guard Alex OConnell, Kansas has one in Dallas guard Marcus Garrett, and Kentucky has yet to land its first commitment for next year.That may sound ominous for now, but just wait until things shake out.The Blue Devils are in the mix for top-10 prospects Wendell Carter and Gary Trent Jr., who some believe could be a package deal, along with top-100 players Matt Coleman, Kevin Knox and Mohamed Bamba. The Jayhawks are pushing hard for guards Collin Sexton and Trae Young and forward Billy Preston.The Wildcats are also coveting Young, a 6-foot-2 guard from Oklahoma, while five-star prospects P.J. Washington and Nick Richards are expected to sign letters of intent with Kentucky later this week.BIG TENS BEST: Illinois coach John Groce has started what could be a make-or-break season by landing a four-man class headlined by St. Louis-area forward Jeremiah Tilmon -- though its unclear when he will sign his letter of intent. Michigan State hopes the combination of Jaren Jackson and Xavier Tillman is only the start of another talented class in East Lansing.They played together on the same AAU team. They kind of fit together, Spartans coach Tom Izzo said of his two new power forwards. And were not done. 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