Denny Hamlin started the Auto Club 400 in the pole position. He ended up in the hospital.
In between there was a lot of good racing in Fontana on Sunday that culminated in Hamlin getting tangled with rival Joey Logano on the final lap and landing front-first against a wall.
Kyle Busch wound up winning the race, with Logano hanging on for third place and Hamlin claiming 22nd. Hamlin was able to exit the car on his own but then slumped to the ground beside it. He was eventually airlifted to the hospital.
Hamlin’s girlfriend, Jordan Fish, tweeted Sunday night: “He’s alert n awake, main concern is his back # PrayersforDH.”
Whether or not the crash had more to do with the bad blood between Hamlin and Logano or simply two drivers going for the win is up for debate. The commentators on Fox seem to take the latter view, while The Times’ Bill Dwyre leans toward the former in his column in Monday’s paper:
“There was more going on here than just two guys trying to win, and the fans knew it. Last week, at Bristol, Tenn., Hamlin had bumped Logano and forced him to spin. After the race, Logano confronted Hamlin while Hamlin sat in his car. Words were exchanged and nasty sentiments continued all week. ...
“Hamlin qualified on the pole at Fontana; Logano was sixth. From the start, they were two magnets. It was in-your-face, side-by-side intimidation at 170 mph.
“Everybody saw it coming on the last lap, especially Busch, the lost-in-the-shuffle champion, who zipped around the feuding pair to victory just as Logano squeezed to the right on Hamlin. That sent both cars spinning and crashing and eventually sent Hamlin to a hospital, via helicopter.
“Serious stuff. Scary stuff. Also, business as usual in NASCAR.”
Take a look at the video above and let us know what you think.
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Kyle Busch takes advantage of final-lap crash to win Auto Club 400
