Following a hard hit to the inside wall on the last lap of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, Denny Hamlin will remain in hospital overnight for observation.
“Hamlin complained of lower back pain at the track’s infield medical center and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation,” a JGR statement said. “Hamlin will remain at the hospital overnight for observation.”
Hamlin and Joey Logano were running against each other for the lead in the final laps when Kyle Busch would sneak past them and take the win. However behind Busch, the pair continued to battle and made contact off of turn four. The resulting contact caused Logano to bounce off the wall and Hamlin to go flying into the inside wall. The wall that Hamlin hit had no safer barrier and caused the car to come up off the ground. Hamlin was credited with a 25th with Logano got third.
“He probably shouldn’t have done what he did last week, so that’s what he gets,” Logano said after the race, unaware that Hamlin had been injured.
The feud originally started last week at Bristol Motor Speedway when Hamlin made contact with Logano while battling for second, causing Logano to hit the wall. Logano, after the race, displayed his displeasure with Hamlin.
This is not the first time Hamlin has had a back injury as back spasms due to torn and bulging disks caused him to sit out the Nationwide Series race last July at Daytona and some of Sprint Cup Daytona practice. Hamlin noted then that he would need to get surgery at a later date, but hasn’t yet.
