Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Add Denny Hamlin to the injured-but-still-driving list
SiriusXM Satellite Radio's Claire B. Lang was asking NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin a question Thursday night about whether he had ever driven in his career with a cast on his arm or wrist, when she got a very surprising answer.
As it turns out, Hamlin was also injured in the same wreck as Martin Truex Jr. on Saturday night at Bristol and suffered a very similar injury.
This is what he told Lang:
"Well, oddly enough I have the same injury as Martin (Truex Jr.). I've got a splint on my right hand, right on my right thumb, right where he broke his bone. Mine's all black and blue. I guess we had the same thing happen but his was obvious worse. I couldn't get my finger out of the wheel quick enough before it spun and obviously it took some ligaments with it. I feel the pain. It's going to be tough. I tested on Monday and Tuesday at Chicago and I couldn't put my thumb on the wheel - that's something I'm going to have to fight over these next six or seven weeks," Hamlin said.
"It will get better. I've had this injury before. It's not that big of a deal in the big scheme of things but it really can affect how you grip the steering wheel. It happened in the same wreck (Saturday night Bristol). I guess we were both gripping the wheel and you can see in his in-car replay he didn't get his hand out of the wheel before - the wheel got spun out of his hand. Mine did the same doggone thing - just bad luck."
Hamlin went on to say these injuries are why drivers try to keep their hands off the wheel once a wreck is underway. Hamlin said his injury hopefully will heal in a week or so.
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