Denny Hamlin took a massive hit during last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona, one that he reported led to a very sore body. While he will be good to go for the Darlington Raceway playoff opener on Sunday, he found himself to be too shaken up to run the previous day’s Xfinity Series event.
Hamlin’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 came to an abrupt end on lap 139 when he was among thirteen cars—including many of the leaders—collected in a massive crash due to rain that had fallen onto the track. When the race resumed following a three-hour rain delay, Hamlin was among the retirements and classified twenty-fifth.
In an interview after being released from the infield care centre, Hamlin said his “whole body” was in pain from the impact: “My jaw hurts. I feel like my jaw is one of those boxers that gets their whole face demolished. It was certainly the first real Big One I’ve had in this car and everything they’ve been telling us, all the other drivers, it’s legit.”
The crash raised concerns about the Next Gen car’s safety, especially as many drivers say they feel the hits much harder than with the Gen-6 and its predecessors. The Next Gen car is much sturdier, which decreases the risk of freak accidents like blowovers, but more “standard” incidents such as spinning into the wall have been reported as being more painful. Kurt Busch, who drives for Hamlin’s team 23XI Racing, has not returned to the driver’s seat since his qualifying crash at Pocono in July due to a concussion incited by what appeared to be a regular spin.
On Wednesday, Hamlin confirmed his bowing out from the Xfinity race by explaining he “had some soreness in my neck, back, and hips from the wreck on Sunday. I feel like the right thing for me to do is to sit out the Xfinity Series race and put 100 percent of my focus on getting ready for this weekend’s Cup Series playoff race.”
Joe Gibbs Racing team-mate Christopher Bell will replace him in the JGR #18 for Darlington, ending a seven-year streak of Hamlin making his annual Xfinity one-off at the South Carolina track.
