Nascar – Mark Martin replaces Denny Hamlin

The season is long but Denny Hamlin's hopes are already dwindling for the Chase. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver will miss competition for at least six weeks following a fracture of his L1 lumbar vertebra following a crash on the last lap at Fontana. The driver of the No. 11 Camry was then in a fight for victory with his former teammate Joey Logano, with whom he had clashed the previous weekend at Bristol, before the two drivers came into contact . “I know he’s frustrated,” commented JD Gibbs. “The good news is that there is no major fracture. It's not at the level of the ligaments, which requires surgery. It is unclear how long it will take for him to recover. We remain in contact with him. He's been there before, he's a solid guy and he'll come back to fight as soon as he can. »

Denny Hamlin devrait manquer au moins cinq courses et espère reprendre le volant pour l’épreuve de Darlington disputée le 11 mai. Ses chances de disputer le Chase se retrouvent limitées à une entrée en tant que wild-card qui récompense les deux pilotes les plus victorieux entre le 11e et 20e place. En attendant, la Joe Gibbs Racing a demandé au vétéran Mark Martin d’assurer l’intérim sur la Toyota n ° 11. “We are very pleased to have found someone of Mark Martin's caliber to replace Denny”, added the president of the eponymous team. “We don't know exactly how long this replacement will last, but Mark's career speaks for itself and our team knows he will have the opportunity to fight for victory every week. » Mark Martin, under contract with Michael Waltrip Racing in the No. 55 Camry that he shares with several drivers, was already entered in Texas, Kansas and Richmond.

In any case, the tensions between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano do not seem to have subsided despite the Toyota driver's accident. “It didn't go well,” Denny Hamlin told The Associated Press when commenting on his text exchanges with Joey Logano. “The conversation was short and unproductive on both sides. » The Penske driver still wanted to wish his rival a good recovery. “I think it took a turn when he realized Denny was hurt.”, said JD Gibbs. “From what I saw, he seemed affected by his accident. »