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.
