How often does one expect a NASCAR driver to take their hands off the steering wheel? When celebrating in Victory Lane? Sure. When gesturing to another driver on the track? Perhaps. But when heading straight toward a wall? Well, as it happened over a decade ago, this was one of the things that Danica Patrick was criticized for by many, but years later, Denny Hamlin has actually come out defending her, drawing parallels with the scary crash Christopher Bell suffered at Michigan.

“When drivers know they’re going to hit the wall, they usually tuck their arms in. People used to make fun of  Danica Patrick for doing that, but it’s the smartest thing you can do,” Hamlin said, while speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast.

The criticism that Patrick faced was actually after her debut NASCAR Cup weekend back in 2012. While racing in the first Duel during the Daytona 500 weekend, Patrick was involved in a wreck and headed straight into the wall, causing massive damage. However, when her in-car camera was inspected, it was odd for many to see that even when approaching the wall at such a high speed, Danica Patrick, instead of steering the car away, took her hands off the wheel and braced for the crash.

Although this seemed odd, it was pure physics at play. When a car is headed towards the wall at over 150 mph, there is simply no point in turning the wheel around, as the car wouldn’t slow down enough to avoid hitting the barrier. Moreover, if the drivers keep holding on to the steering, the impact from the wall, traveling from the tires to the steering axle, can turn the wheel around violently, and carries the potential to cause a fracture to the driver’s wrist. And hence, it only makes sense to take one’s hands off the wheel, as Denny Hamlin pointed out.

“That wheel has no mercy. It’s going to spin one way or another, and it those spokes on those wheels will absolutely just kill a hand,” he added.

That is the uncertainty Bell is dealing with right now, after his #20 was part of the biggest accidents of the Michigan race. His car made contact with Chase Elliott, which sent both drivers hard into the outside wall, and hard enough to damage the SAFER Barrier. As a result, NASCAR halted the race for an extended repair period.

While Bell was able to exit his car on his own and was released from the infield care center after evaluation, team owner Joe Gibbs later shared that Toyota driver is dealing with injuries to both his wrist and ankle.

“So, you got to think that there’s just no time to react. And I certainly wouldn’t have been able to react in the amount of time that C. Bell got hit in the door and then hit in the wall,” Hamlin added.

That said, Bell’s name has been listed for Pocono despite the concerns around his injuries. After all, Pocono is known as the “Tricky Triangle” for a reason, as the 2.5-mile track always stands prepared with three unique corners that require drivers to never let go of that adaptability instinct on each lap.

Chase Elliott accepts the blame for presenting a hiccup in Bell’s run

After the incident, Chase Elliott got out of his damaged car and immediately went over to Christopher Bell. After that, he also publicly apologized to the JGR driver.

“It was totally my fault,” Elliott said. “I feel really bad for Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run the bottom, make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second, I was hoping, and stay side-by-side with him. I just got in there and got free.