HOORAHS & WAZZUPS: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL ‘MARCH MADNESS’
With all due respects to college basketball’s annual super tournament, that takes weeks to complete, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series displayed their own version of “March Madness”, at the Auto Club Speedway, that contained far more excitement and it only took two hours, 57 minutes and 19 seconds, during the course of a single Sunday afternoon, to complete.
During the Auto Club Speedway weekend at Fontana, we watched a driver sweep both NASCAR events: something that is extremely difficult to do. We watched NASCAR’s most popular driver stage a come from behind effort and leave Fontana as the new series’ points leader. We watched two drivers, still angry at each other from last week’s race at Bristol, put on a stunning race for the win only to have it turn out wrong. We watched an emotionally charged altercation on pit road after the race had concluded. We all got treated to one of the best races we’ve seen in quite some time.
That’s what I call “March Madness.”
HOORAH. The Auto Club Speedway’s victory lane is shiny and super clean. That’s because Kyle Busch swept it with a very large broom. Kyle Busch’s performance, during the NASCAR weekend at Fontana, was nothing short or stellar. His excellent weekend began by winning the Royal Purple 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. It was the driver’s third win, in five starts, this year, his 54th career series win and he presented Joe Gibbs Racing with their ninth, consecutive, Nationwide Series win at the Auto Club Speedway.
HOORAH. The following day, Busch led 125 laps, of 200, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Auto Club 400. He literally stole the show on the white flag lap just seconds before race leader Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano wrecked each other. It was Busch’s 25th career win, that ended a 31 race win less streak, and his second win at the Auto Club Speedway. Despite Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide Series’ dominance at this track, this race was their first ever Sprint Cup win there as well as Toyota’s first win at the track. Joe Gibbs Racing now has at least one win at every track on the modern day Sprint Cup schedule. Sweeping a NASCAR weekend is a difficult performance to pull off. The fact that Kyle Busch has now done it nine times in his career is simply amazing.
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WAZZUP. In the days preceding the Auto Club 400, and right up to the singing of the “National Anthem,” we were bombarded with video, and editorial speculation, regarding the hard feelings between drivers Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano that stemmed from the Bristol Motor Speedway race held the week before. Hamlin attempted to do the right thing by rendering an apology for his actions, via a media interview, which Logano reportedly rejected. The hype that said expect some form of retaliation between these two drivers at the Auto Club Speedway hit a fever pitch.
WAZZUP. If these two drivers were going to launch a retaliation move against each other during the Auto Club 400, they had plenty of opportunity to do it. There were frequent times during the event when they were racing each other. The final acclaim occurred on the final lap. The two drivers were side by side racing for the win. That’s when contact was made. Logano slid into the turn four wall but was able to recover for a third place finish. Hamlin slid down turn four and hit the inside wall hard.
WAZZUP. The front end of Hamlin’s Toyota managed to find a section of retaining wall that wasn’t reinforced by a energy absorbing SAFER Barrier. This is an issue that needs to be addressed right away. If any track, on NASCAR’s national touring schedules, has an unprotected retaining wall, with even the slightest possibly of being reached by an out of control race car, then that wall needs a SAFER Barrier. Hamlin sustained a back injury from the wreck and collapsed to the pavement the moment he exited his wrecked car. After spending the night in a nearby hospital, Hamlin was diagnosed with a L1 compression fracture in his lower back and will be seeking medical treatment from a North Carolina based specialist.
WAZZUP. Anyone who thought the Hamlin/Logano wreck was an act of retaliation probably needs to take another
at the video highlights. What we saw here were two drivers racing hard for the win on the final lap of the race. They were two drivers doing the job they get paid a lot of money to do.
WAZZUP. During a post race interview, Logano, commenting on Hamlin hitting the wall, said “he probably shouldn’t have done what he did last week, (wrecking Logano at Bristol), so that’s what he gets.” The comment raised an immediate reaction among the media and the fans. Logano was harshly criticized for being so insensitive to the fact that Hamlin was injured in the wreck. In the name of fairness, Logano at the time was not aware that Hamlin was in the process of being transported to a hospital when he made the remark. That fact was later confirmed by Roger Penske, Logano’s team owner.
HOORAH. After the race Roger Penske, in an interview with the “Associated Press,” defended his driver and said: “Joey is a great driver and what happened at the end there wasn’t anything more than hard racing. I stand behind him and I think he’s going to go down as one of the greatest drivers to ever race.”
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WAZZUP. As they say during those late night television infomercials: “but wait, there’s more.” How surprised were you when Tony Stewart parked alongside Joey Logano’s car, on pit road after the race, with the intent of verbally and physically abusing Logano? It seems that “Smoke” was a little “smoked” over a blocking move Logano made on him during the final restart of the Auto Club 400. Again, in all fairness, there were only 11 laps remaining in the race and, again, what we had here was a driver going for the win and doing his job. From the Saturday night local track level to the NASCAR Sprint Cup, blocking is very often a part of racing especially during the waning laps of a race.
WAZZUP. There was a lot of pushing and shoving on pit road between Stewart and his team members against Logano and his guys which dissipated rather quickly. Stewart immediately granted a live television interview following the incident at a time when retreating to his car hauler for a brief cool down period should have been his first choice. However, from that shoot from the hip live interview came the following Tony Stewart classic sound bite: “dumb little s**t runs us clear down to the infield. He wants to b***h about everybody else, and he’s the one that drives like a little p***k. I’m gonna bust his ass.”
HOORAH. Okay, that statement was actually very funny and, again, classic “Smoke.”
HOORAH. Someone in the Fox Sports broadcast truck was a Johnny on the spot with the censor button. You need cat like movements to bleep out that many cuss words in a span of a few seconds. Apparently it’s okay to say the word “ass” on Fox Sports.
WAZZUP. Wait a minute, wasn’t that Tony Stewart who threw a block, while defending his race lead, last October at Talladega? Why yes, I believe it was. The result of that move was a 25 car, “big one,” pile up.
HOORAH. The SPEED Channel made very quick work of searching their archives and locating that Talladega video so “everyone” could refresh their memories.
WAZZUP. Tony Stewart also pointed out that, in the heat of the moment, Joey Logano threw a bottle of water at him “like a little girl.” Okay, I have to admit that Logano’s water throw was indeed a little on the girly side and definitely needs some work.
WAZZUP. Wait a minute, wasn’t that Tony Stewart who, last year, threw his helmet at Matt Kenseth’s race car? Why yes, I believe it was. Expect the SPEED Channel to pull that video from the archives very soon. Stewart’s helmet toss contained a stunning amount of aim and velocity and was considered to be Olympic athlete quality. Here’s an idea, when the drama between these two drivers settles down, and it will sooner or later, maybe Stewart can give Logano some tips on the fine art of throwing things at race drivers.
HOORAH. So, who are the big winners from all of this driver drama? First off there’s the Auto Club Speedway who wound up with a racing show that fans and media will be discussing at great length over the next two weeks prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ return to action. The other big winner is the Public Relations Department, and ticket sales office, at the Martinsville Speedway, the scene of the next Cup race on April 7th.
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HOORAH. The element of all of this driver drama nearly overshadowed the fact that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has a new points leader. On the final lap of the Auto Club 400, Dale Earnhardt Jr saw the incident between Hamlin and Logano coming and made quick work of moving into second place with the checkers only 50 yards away. It was a very strong run for a driver who hasn’t had a lot of good racing luck at this speedway in the past.
WAZZUP. The in house girl friend, still a card carrying, T shirt wearing, member of the Junior Nation, is beyond thrilled with this news. Every time I leave my racing office and walk into the living room, she wags her index finger at me and shouts JUNIOR!!!!! That’s only fair, her favorite driver has been very strong so far this year.
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Some final Fontana footnotes:
HOORAH. The Auto Club Speedway’s massive two mile oval was considered to be the next major test for NASCAR’s new Generation-Six race car which passed that test with flying colors. According to NASCAR’s data base, there were 41 passes for the lead which tied a speedway record. There were also a recorded 3,721 green flag passes in the race, the most since 2010.
HOORAH. According to regional newspapers located in the Fontana area, a reported 85,000 fans attended the Auto Club 400. In this day and age filled with harsh national economics, those are very strong numbers. Those numbers are in direct proportion to the hard work by the speedway staff and their efforts to promote the race. Those fans were treated to a thrilling race that will be included in the season highlight reel at the end of the year.
HOORAH. The national television ratings were reported to be a whopping 32 percent up from last year’s race. In all honesty, it has to be pointed out that ratings from the 2012 event were hampered by inclement weather. None the less, the numbers for the 2013 event were very strong. Fox Sports and NASCAR had to be thrilled with the results.
HOORAH. The dedication levels of true NASCAR fans has never ceased to amaze me. A case in point was the very large group of fans who gathered at a Bass Pro Shops store in the community of Rancho Cucamonga on the Thursday night before the race weekend. The eager fans were there to meet drivers Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray. Many of them reportedly lined up in front of the store 20 hours before the start of the meet and greet. Some were even reported to have camped out in the store’s parking lot the night before the event.
HOORAH. Cheryl Hackett and Richard Dogero are a Riverside based couple who has been together for approximately eight years. Their mutual love of NASCAR racing was one of the factors that cemented their relationship. Early Friday morning, prior to the scheduled practice sessions, they were married in the Auto Club Speedway’s victory lane. Good luck and God bless Mr and Mrs Dogero.
WAZZUP. Over the years this race track has been heavily maligned by critics regarding the quality of the racing there. The fact of the matter is: that situation has tremendously changed for the better over the past few racing seasons. I personally am done participating in any conversion with anyone who tries to tell me the Auto Club Speedway can’t produce good racing. The 2013 Auto Club 400 was one of the best NASCAR Sprint Cup events we’ve seen, from any track, in quite a long time. Anyone who didn’t enjoy this race probably wasn’t a NASCAR racing fan to begin with.
Hardly Boring, the 2013 Season Has Been Entertaining So Far
All last year, folks commented that the racing in NASCAR’s top series was boring. Most of them pointed to the late-race action at Martinsville Speedway last April. On Sunday, at near 200 mph, they saw more of the same. This time it was Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, fresh off a dustup at Bristol Motor Speedway where both drivers pointed fingers. Who would have thought that a race at Auto Club Speedway could bring that kind of excitement? Certainly not me or most anyone else would think that. Was it the Gen 6 car or the track or the drivers? I can’t answer that question, but the bigger question is why Safer Barriers were not on the wall where Hamlin hit head on?
The accident that put Hamlin into that wall was just that—a racing accident. Fighting for a win on the last lap, neither driver did anything wrong. I doubt wither one of them even thought about the spin of Logano caused by Hamlin. They were just going for the checkered flag. That’s racin’. The result was something else. Hamlin might miss seat time with a broken back and Logano will always be seen as a vindictive guy who deliberately wrecked Hamlin. I don’t believe that for a second. While we all know that Jeff Gordon did do that to Clint Bowyer, I don’t think that is the case here. Regardless, if there had been a Safer Barrier on that inside wall, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation, not a part of NASCAR, but the same people are involved. To continue to ask why is not enough. They have some explaining to do. When Pocono’s guardrail nearly cut Elliott Sadler’s car in half, nothing short of a removal was accepted. When Kyle Larson nearly tore down the catchfence at Daytona, the conversation was all about safety and changing things. I certainly hope this unfortunate incident gets the same reaction.
As for Tony Stewart’s quarterly outburst against some other driver, I take it with a grain of salt. Blocking was the sin committed by Logano, but if we look back long enough, we might notice that Stewart is the king of blockers. Plus, you cannot tell me that Stewart wouldn’t have done the same thing if it had been him in front of Logano. The cheap shots at Logano’s upbringing and personality were un-called for, but that’s Tony. We can all remember the helmet throwing incident at Bristol, can’t we? If Kurt Busch was called on the carpet for his language at Homestead a few years ago, what about Tony on Sunday? Sure, his expletives were beeped, but is there really any difference. Every 10-year old knew what he said. If Tony isn’t fined, they owe Busch an apology, in my opinion.
So boring it has not been in 2013. Television ratings are up and attendance, save Bristol, is better than last year. Or so it seems. Since NASCAR doesn’t give out attendance estimations, only the tracks know and they’re not talking, but it looks better. Still, I’ll be the first to say that so far the product is better. That goes a long way from what we’ve seen in the recent past.
Kyle Busch sneaks into victory lane while building confidence and giving Toyota a special win
“I did win the race today, by the way, so that might be a story. But I’m sure it’s not.”
While Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart stole the headlines, lost in it all was the fact that ‘Rowdy’ Busch was able to steal the victory.
“Unfortunately it got a little dirty there at the end, and it was just running — those guys were running each other really, really hard, especially down the straightaways, just side drafting one another and slowing each other down,” Busch commented after the race. “That was the easiest time for me to gain time, just being able for me to run my own race right there and to run around the top. I finally got my momentum going and got a little bit of the tight that was in the car out of it, and we ran those guys down, and then was able to pass them there in 3 and 4 before the big wreck ensued.”
While Kyle Busch may win a lot, this was in fact the first win for Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing at Auto Club Speedway.
Not every day do you accomplish something that big that hasn’t been done before. If it was any other given weekend with Busch winning in the style he did, well, this would’ve been one of your headline stories.
“To get TRD and Toyota in victory lane here in California, of course that’s great, too,” Busch continued. “It’s their home. They’re not from too far from here. And for Dave and I. We’ve been working really hard, and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing has been working really hard. But to finally seal the deal here today feels good.”
The battle that Logano and Hamlin put on is one that Busch has seen himself in a lot of times as he is known to be one of the hardest racers out there, and sometimes be dirty at what he does. One of his most recent hard battles was last week’s Nationwide Series race in the final laps with Kyle Larson, where they bumped fenders in the process.
It is no secret that Busch has caused his fair share of wrecks and made certain people mad. In Busch’s eyes, he called it just “hard racing” between the pair.
“It looked like there through three and four that Joey went to the bottom but didn’t quite get all the way down there and knew that Denny was going to have the run on the outside and slid up a little bit,” Busch commented. “I’m not sure if he lost his front end or not, but they got together a little bit, and then it turned Denny sideways and then somehow Joey got into the fence, too. But that’s just from the minimal replays I’ve seen.”
In comparison, Busch says clean racing is “when you’re just running each other hard and you’re separated down the straightaways, you’re trying not to slow each other down and bring the third car back there into the fray.”
While it marks a big win for TRD and Joe Gibbs Racing, it also marks a big win for Busch and crew chief Dave Rogers in respect to confidence. Busch admitted that missing the Chase barely last year put a lot of weight on both his and Rogers’ shoulders on whether they could actually come back this year and do well.
Looking at his season to date, Busch feels they’ve done well as at Daytona they were running well before the motor problem while he messed up at Phoenix.
“Then we go to Vegas and run up front, we lead some laps, we just didn’t have a good long run car,” Busch said. He finished fourth there. “Then last week at Bristol we had a good car, we sped on pit road and got back in traffic, never really made our way back up to the front on good tires, and then here this weekend, again, we had the best car, we led the most laps, and felt like it was our race to win, but in reality it was our race to lose when all those guys kept pitting behind us and putting on tires. We felt like track position was the best for us, although tires were worth a lot of speed.”
However, Busch notes that finally, unlike last year, they had some luck on their side and were able to pull off the win. Busch also says it shows their hard work has paid off after their conversation a couple weeks ago.
“Dave and I talked a lot in the last few weeks about what we can do to try to help each other and put our program on the map where we’re a bigger force to be reckoned with,” he said.
Another thing that has benefited Busch this year is the success he has had on the Nationwide Series side, winning last week at Bristol and this week at California. He says the extra seat time in those cars has helped their Cup program.
“Being able to get that feel of what the racetrack transitions like and what the car does throughout the run and everything and where you have to move around to,” he explained. “You know, I did a lot of things today similar to what I did yesterday, but people can say, oh, well, it’s just as easy to watch the race on TV and watch what the winner does. But I don’t really want to sit there for three hours and watch it, I’d rather be out there feeling everything and participating in it, and of course it’s always cool when you can win both races.”
The Final Word – From Bristol, to California, and on to Martinsville the Logano friendship tour continues
Last week I wrote that California wasn’t your daddy’s NASCAR venue. I was wrong. It turned out to be not only your daddy’s but your grandpappy’s as well. Both would have loved what they saw, be it from a 1953, 1983, or 2013 perspective.
We had three cars dominate the front the entire day, as Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin seemed to just lend one of those positions to others over the course of the event. On the final lap, they were back in those spots, with Logano and Hamlin duelling for the win, as Kyle Busch rode behind waiting for what most of us expected. As the leading duo put metal to metal, Busch swooped by on the outside while the other two exchanged checkers for wreckers. Busch won, Logano came off the wall to finish third, Hamlin took a hard hit to the concrete on the inside to wind up 25th and in the hospital for lower back concerns.
With Hamlin out of action, there was going to be no post-race fight, ala the 1979 Daytona 500 festivities involving Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers. Wrong again. Tony Stewart got squeezed out on the final restart by Logano, and it was he who took a swing at the kid on pit road. Unschooled in hockey, Stewart did not grab the front of Logano’s firesuit, thus failed to do what Canadian ballplayers succeeded in doing against Mexico recently. So, to keep things lively, the television folks stuck a microphone in Stewart’s face and thankfully they played a bleeped taped version of Smoke’s smoking rhetoric. Basically, he said he had some concerns with Joey’s character but had some solutions in mind to help correct the young gent, though using a series of strong pronouns to get his point across.
Roger Penske is defending his driver, saying Tony blocks, too. The fact Stewart went from a top five to outside the top twenty probably had much to do with his reaction. He took a swing; in return Logano threw a water bottle at his face. Usually, unless the fellow’s name is Klitschko, a 41 year old is usually not the favorite when it comes to the fistic arts against a 22 year old. Then again, the 6 foot, 1 inch Logano is just a lightweight compared to the light heavyweights and cruiserweights he seems to become embroiled with. Maybe keeping those beefy crew guys around him might be a good policy to keep.
Here I thought we needed Martinsville to get the taste of California out of our mouths, but instead the Virginia track needs to just maintain the status quo. The racing might have been strung out at Fontana but there was racing to be had all over. Comers and goers exchanged spots, those you thought out of it returned from out of the darkness, and the finish was a true classic.
In the meantime, the lads and lassie take Easter off, so Hamlin has an additional week to mend, though I don’t think the extra seven days are going to cool off too many drivers who are experiencing a bit of overheating. In a sport that features the Busch brothers, Hamlin, Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski, to name just a few, it would seem a young man from Connecticut has been voted the driver most likely to get his ass kicked by his peers. I sure hope he enjoys the next two weeks.
Hamlin Logano Feud – Good For The Sport Or Not?
There are as many opinions as there are fans as to whether or not Joey Logano is at fault for the late-race wreck on Sunday at Fontana that sent driver Denny Hamlin to the hospital. The feud that started several weeks ago between the former JGR team mates just seems to keep escalating from a post-race disagreement, to comments and digs being traded on Twitter, then to the hard racing that resulted in the crash this weekend at Auto Club Speedway in California.
. @keselowski sorry I couldn’t get close to you cuz your genius teammate was too busy messing up the inside line 1 move at a time
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 24, 2013
Hey @dennyhamlingreat job protecting that genius brain of yours by keeping your helmet on
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) March 17, 2013
Some would say that this “hard racing” is a refreshing change from the tame, almost boring racing of the past several years. NASCAR fans have said that they want more battling and true competition on the track, but have the off-track antics of Logano and Hamlin attracted more fans to the races or just made the sport look petty and childish?
As the laps wound down, Logano and Hamlin battled for the lead, beating and banging on each other all the way around the track. The fans, both at home and at the track, could see the wreck coming before it ever happened. Even Kyle Busch, who was in third and digging to get back to the lead, said, ” ..unfortunately it got a little dirty there at the end,” about the racing between the 22 and the 11 but also noted, “.. [I] was able to pass them there in 3 and 4 before the big wreck ensued.” Busch capitalized on the feud, passing the pair on the high side, taking the lead and winning the race.
While the racing brought everyone out of their seats as those last few laps came to an end, the resulting crash into the inside wall sent Hamlin to the hospital. The report from Joe Gibbs Racing has said that Hamlin is having lower back pain, and while it is widely known that Denny has had back problems before, the crash undoubtedly aggravated his back. Hamlin’s wife sent out a tweet to fans Sunday night, reassuring them that Denny was doing okay except for the back pain.
Thank u everyone for your messages concerning Denny. Darian is keeping us posted. He’s alert n awake, main concern is his back #PrayersforDH
— Jordan Fish (@MissJFish) March 25, 2013
The question remains, are antics like those that Logano and Hamlin have been involved in for several weeks, both on and off the track, attracting new NASCAR fans or people who are more interested in the fighting, crashes, and behavior more fitting for a kindergarten class than world-class race car drivers? Some say these are the same things that we saw from drivers like Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison in 1979. Whether you see it as good for NASCAR or not, the tempers are heating up, and I suspect this is not going to be the last we see of Logano, Hamlin and whoever else gets dragged in, battling through to the end of the season.
Vickers Aims for Cup Series Return in 2013
The rollercoaster ride Brian Vickers has been on over the past few seasons in NASCAR is quite incredible. Vickers has experienced remarkable lows over the past few years including getting ousted out of his Red Bull Racing ride after the team closed their operations as well as getting sidelined due to a medical problem in 2010. Highs for Vickers include having a tremendous amount of success in the few Cup races he has been in over the past few years along with getting a full-time Nationwide Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2013. Vickers had to prove his talent to the NASCAR world again after losing his Cup ride and he has done that over the past few seasons. That is why Vickers will be aiming to return to the Cup Series in 2014.
A dismal 2010 and 2011 for Vickers left him questioning his time in NASCAR and if he should really be here but, a turn-around last season made him realize that NASCAR is where he needs to be. 2012 started out hopeless for Vickers since he had no races planned for the season but, a call-up from Michael Waltrip Racing gave him a chance at racing in 2012. He competed in a handful of races last season, all which had decent results. In the select events he ran, he was running up front and leading laps. That was what he needed to do and that began his path back to a possible full-time ride in the Cup Series.
Vickers took the opportunity to add to his number of races for MWR in the Cup Series this season in hope that it will be easier to find a full-time ride in the future. With Mark Martin likely not returning to do his part of the schedule in the No.55 car next season, Vickers has the opportunity to potentially take that ride over full-time and compete for the championship. The rollercoaster ride he went on over the past few seasons may have been worth it if in fact, he is rewarded that ride next season.
With a solid performance in his select Cup races this season along with contending for the championship in the Nationwide Series, Vickers could easily find himself as a man with many opportunities as how to go about his next few seasons in NASCAR. MWR may not be the only option for him due to the fact that many teams could have open rides during the upcoming silly season since a large free-agent class will be in place. This all may seem like a huge opportunity for Vickers but, Vickers and his fans will view it as an option that has been long in the making.
Talent is the one thing that can take you far in any sport but, especially in NASCAR. The drivers talents have brought them to where they are now in NASCAR and the same talents will give each competitor a long racing career. Brian Vickers has had the talent for over a decade but, failed opportunities have left Vickers and his talents searching for the ultimate racing goal of a full-time Cup ride again. Vickers has achieved that before but, past issues have left Vickers without it. Vickers has proven that those issues are in his past and that he is ready to move on. 2014 could be the year where Vickers finds himself back to full-time racing in the Cup Series and that’s been where his sights have been set all along. A new chapter in Vickers’ career could start to be written next season with a new beginning in the Cup Series.
PrimeSportsMotorsports: Fontana Recap
Ed Coombs, Mary Jo Buchanon and Brad Keppel of SpeedwayMedia.com will join Greg to recap the weekend in NASCAR at Fontana.
Denny Hamlin suffers compression fracture to his back following last lap crash
Joe Gibbs Racing has released that driver Denny Hamlin has suffered a L1 Compression Fracture to his back following his wreck on the last lap of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
“Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driverDenny Hamlin suffered a L1 Compression Fracture following an accident on the final lap of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway,” the JGR statement said. “Hamlin hopes to be released today to fly to his home in North Carolina where he will be evaluated by Dr. Jerry Petty of Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates later this week.”
The compression fracture is located in his lower back and occurs when a vertebrae in the spine collapses. It is an injury that can occur in people who are healthy when they suffer a vertical shock to the area.
Whether Hamlin will be able to race at Martinsville Speedway in two weeks or whether he will need surgery is yet to be determined.
Hamlin did send out a tweet earlier today, simply stating that he just wanted to go home.
I just want to go home
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 25, 2013
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. The pair then continued their feud on twitter, sending messages back and forth. The messages ended after Hamlin tweeted the following….
Last time I checked he had my cell and direct message button to choose from if he’s got a problem.. Otherwise hush little child
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 17, 2013
This injury is the same injury that IndyCar Series driver Will Power suffered back in October 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a hard crash. Power was cleared less than four weeks later, back in a car testing.
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.
