DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he feels better as he continues to rehabilitate the vision and balance issues he suffers from but added that he does not belong in a race car as he recovers from a concussion suffered in June.Earnhardt, who has missed the past seven Sprint Cup races including Sundays Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, announced Friday that he would not return to his Hendrick Motorsports car for the rest of this year.I have the passion and the desire to drive, Earnhardt said Sunday at Darlington Raceway. I enjoy it. ... My heart is there to continue, and if my doctor says Im physically able to continue, thats an easier decision for me to make.[Retirement] is not something I think about. Were trying to focus on just getting well and getting normal.The 41-year-old driver is preparing to return to the seat in 2017, and his doctor Sunday said the treatment focuses on Earnhardt -- who he said was pretty sick -- being able to handle everyday life and then a race car.Were doing what were doing right now to make sure we get Dales systems rehabbed to the point where not only does he feel normal but hopefully to the point where we dont see less force causes [them] to come back, said Dr. Micky Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.Weve advanced things to a point where we know how to rehab these symptoms well. ... Hopefully we can get to a point where we see that he can withstand the normal forces of a race car driver. If he had a significant force, that would cause an injury as it would anyone.Earnhardt has battled balance and vision issues associated with gaze stability -- the ability to focus on an object in the distance while moving his head. He is going through vision, stability and exercise therapy.Collins treated Earnhardt in 2012 when he missed two races because of two concussions in six weeks.We went through this process in 2012, Earnhardt said. It was very scary and difficult. Micky told me that I would one day be well and I would win races again, and he was right. ... Hes telling me this is possible again, and I believe it.Earnhardt vows to race again despite having a history of concussions dating back to 2002. The June 12 wreck at Michigan International Speedway this year didnt appear so violent that it should cause a concussion. His car got jostled about three weeks later at Daytona, and the symptoms started the following week.He said he has seen significant improvement over the past few weeks, and both the driver and doctor said the decision not to race the remainder of the year has relieved stress, which should accelerate his recovery.I struggled with my eyes for a while, Earnhardt said. Im starting to see improvements there, which I was thrilled to wake up one day and feel a difference. ... My balance is miles better than when it was when I first went to see Micky.Collins said Earnhardt has worked as hard as any patient he has had.When I first saw Dale, my goal was to see Dale become a human being again, Collins said. And I can tell you with confidence that is occurring in front of our eyes. ... The second goal is Dale becoming a race car driver again.Yes, we will be working on that as well. Im very confident we are moving in the right direction.While he feels comfortable driving a car and doing things in everyday life, Earnhardt said there are still times where he would be in the car and stumble.Earnhardt, who turns 42 in October, has 26 victories -- including two Daytona 500 wins -- in 595 career Sprint Cup starts. He has finished in the top 10 in 42 percent of his races. The son of seven-time Sprint Cup champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr. has never won a Cup title, with a best finish in the season standings of third in 2003. After missing the Chase for two consecutive seasons, he has enjoyed a career resurgence with five consecutive Chase appearances from 2011 to 2015.I definitely dont belong in a race car today by any stretch of the imagination, Earnhardt said. You dont know how long this process is going to take. We want to be healthy and be able to compete at some point.But we also dont want to take any risks to reinjure ourselves or put ourselves in a situation where we essentially erase all the hard work we did to get better.Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon has competed in five races since Earnhardt had to step out of the car, including a 14th-place finish Sunday night in the Southern 500, and he will drive three more this season. Alex Bowman, who has driven in two races in place of Earnhardt, will drive eight more to the end of the year.Gordon said the team has not let the potential of Earnhardt never returning affect its week-to-week preparation.I dont think were ready to go there with that mindset yet, Gordon said about thoughts of Earnhardt retiring. I think were all positive this is the right thing for him.The doctors feel confident in that. 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Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set.FRISCO, Texas -- Jason Witten stood in the posh locker room at the new practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, addressing a topic that came up frequently at musty old Valley Ranch -- as recently as last year.Quarterback Tony Romo is hurt again, and his favorite tight end is here to tell you the Cowboys can make it work without him. Even though they went 1-11 last season with Romo sidelined twice by a broken left collarbone.Now Romo has a broken bone in his back -- his fourth back injury in less than four years -- and no timetable for a return. Witten would also like to remind people that the player he came into the league with 13 years ago once returned to a game with broken ribs and a punctured lung.People are going to bet against him, thats fine, and I dont think thats unfair to do so, Witten said. But if you know what hes about, which everybody in this building does, hes going to be back sooner than probably expected and hell play better than anybody thought he would because I know thats what hes about.Before even taking a question at his opening news conference for training camp, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the Cowboys were finished waiting for star players to return after injuries to Romo and receiver Dez Bryant and suspensions for linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive end Greg Hardy set the tone for a first-to-worst slide to 4-12.In keeping with that vow, Jones is talking up rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, who figures to start at least the first few games as long as hes healthy, starting with the opener Sept. 11 against the New York Giants.And Prescott has been impressive enough in the preseason for Jones to lose interest in adding a veteran after backup Kellen Moore broke his right ankle in a camp practice. Romos injury forces the Cowboys to look outside for a quarterback, but now it will be a backup to Prescott instead of to the teams 36-year-old leader.Weve got a lot of energy here, Jones said Tuesday on his radio show. And we can win with this. I think Dak under center brings a lot of that there. That doesnt mean you didnt have a lot of excitement with Tony being healthy. Weve got a chance to deevelop that energy, that asset so to speak with Dak.ddddddddddddThe failures last year were the result of spotty play from backups Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel and a defense that finished last in the NFL in takeaways and turnover margin. The Cowboys also struggled to develop a deep threat without Bryant, an All-Pro in 2014 when the Cowboys won the NFC East and a playoff game.I think when I talked to you guys in April, the first thing we had to do coming off that season was we had to evaluate that thoroughly, Witten said. I think as a football team we did a really good job of that, and thats hard. Its hard to look at yourself and say I didnt play well. We didnt play well.The injuries to Romo and Bryant (broken foot) overshadowed a defense that was missing Orlando Scandrick, who was lost for the season to a knee injury in training camp. The Cowboys missed his playmaking, and maybe his straight talk as well.What do you want us to do, quit? Scandrick shot back at reporters this week. We are here to win games. Tony is not going to play football one day. Nothing is forever. People get hurt. You build a team to withstand this kind of stuff.Romo is 78-49 as the starter, and the Cowboys are 7-20 when he has been sidelined by injuries that include a broken finger, three breaks of his left collarbone, a herniated disk and another small fracture in his back.The broken ribs and punctured lung dont count because he didnt miss a game, returning in a come-from-behind win at San Francisco and playing eight days later in a home win on a Monday night against Washington in 2011.I think on the face of this, it really does hurt, Witten said. But I dont think the expectations adjust any. I think the reason for that is we believe in the construction of this team, that it is strong, and the people around us. Weve decided that with Tony.But they will have to play without Romo -- again.---Online:AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler ' ' '