Denny Hamlin News – Cleared to race at Martinsville
Last week Denny Hamlin missed the Auto Club 400 due to a claimed sinus infection and blurred vision which doctors believed impaired his ability to race. The announcement which was made just minutes before the drop of the green flag was received with heavy criticism throughout the week mostly for the lack of detail from NASCAR surrounding Hamlin’s health. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr expressed his frustration with the lack of details surrounding Hamlin’s health status in a press conference this week citing “the perception is bad for NASCAR, and bad for Denny.”
Earlier today, news was released surrounding the Joe Gibbs Racing driver that should clear up both confusion and concerns. Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Hamlin had been cleared to race in this week’s STP 500 at Martinsville after having a piece of metal removed from his eye. The metal is believed to be the source behind the blurred vision and headaches that Hamlin was experiencing last week that forced him to seek medical care prior to the start of the Auto Club 400.
Last year, Hamlin suffered a broken vertebra in a crash at Auto Club Speedway, after tangling with Joey Logano, which caused him to miss several weeks of racing and ultimately ruined his Sprint Cup Championship hopes. Critics quickly drew the connection that Hamlin would miss his return to Fontana while raising doubts about the validity of the announcement. Some people were quick to claim that the 10 year Sprint Cup veteran had become ‘scared’ overnight to get behind the wheel of a racecar. Obviously Hamlin did what was in his #11 FedEx’s team and doctor’s best interest for last Sunday’s race. For those that insinuated Hamlin was scared to get back behind the wheel at Auto Club Speedway, they are about as rational as those who believed they were going to pick a perfect March Madness bracket at this time a week ago.
The good news is that Hamlin will get to climb back into his Toyota Camry at one of his best tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit. Hamlin has posted 4 victories in his 16 career starts in his home state of Virginia. Additionally, Hamlin has the 3rd best average finish of all active drivers at 8.13 behind only Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Considering Gordon and Johnson are two of the best drivers to ever get behind the wheel at Martinsville, Hamlin is in good company. Drivers will get their first taste of faction this Friday with the first practice of the STP 500 schedule for 12:00pm eastern time.