RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Chesterfield native and NASCAR star Denny Hamlin got emotion in a recent interview with ESPN. Hamlin suffered a compression fracture in his back after crashing into the wall during a race in California two weeks ago. Hamlin was injured when fellow driver Joey Logano wrecked Hamlin’s car towards the end of the Auto Club 400 on March 24.
In interviews since the crash, Logano said he did not intentionally wreck Hamlin and that he was simply racing hard.
In a recent interview, Hamlin could not hide his emotions when asked about Logano’s racing style that day in California.
“He [Logano] says in his interview that these cars are pretty safe so I’m sure he’s fine. That is taking for granted what we do,” Hamlin said. “That’s why people don’t wreck each other on 200 mile-per-hour racetracks. It’s cause this is what can happen. You got to think about that as a driver. You can’t just throw caution to the wind because no one’s gotten killed in 10 years. It’s okay to just wreck someone at 200? It’s not okay, because, you know I have a daughter now I’d like to do things with her when I get older. So don’t take my health for granted just because you want to retaliate.”
Hamlin was quick to respond when asked if he thought the wreck was ‘personal.’
“It’s personal because you know I’m the one who has to go to rehab three times a week. I’m the one who’s got to wear this brace for six weeks or however long. He gets to go to a racetrack,” Hamlin said. “I’m the only who has to deal with the repercussions from this wreck. He’s going to move on as if nothing happened this weekend at Martinsville.”
You can watch Hamlin’s interview with ESPN here.
Hamlin said he hoped to be back behind the wheel of his car by the time NASCAR returns to Richmond International Raceway for the Toyota Owners 400 on April 27.
