“How Long Were You Out?”- Denny Hamlin Left Puzzled Over Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Fishy Question Even Before HMS Star’s Upsetting News Came to Light

Despite the unparalleled excitement NASCAR racing brings, the extreme nature of the sport exposes its drivers to a heightened risk of injuries. From high-speed crashes to the physical strains of intense G-forces, drivers face numerous perils on the racetrack. These dangers can, unfortunately, result in career-threatening injuries or necessitate extended periods of recovery, keeping them out of their cars and away from the competition.

Recently, the sport was confronted with the disheartening news that a Hendrick Motorsports standout, Alex Bowman suffered an injury after a high-octane Sprint race. Intriguingly, this incident echoed a previous injury sustained by Denny Hamlin, showcasing the ever-present hazards faced by drivers in the sport.

However, in a curious turn of events, Hamlin found himself perplexed by an enigmatic question posed by former NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. This was well before Bowman’s injury came to light.

Denny Hamlin reveals Dale Earnhardt Jr’s confusing inquiry

During a conversation over his podcast, Hamlin stated, “Alex Bowman was racing in Sprint car and got injured. Seems like he’s got a compression fracture of the spine. Same thing that I had as well.”

“I was actually wondering why Dale Jr was asking me, how long I was out, during my injury. A few hours before he was just like, ‘Hey, I was wondering, how long were you out?”

“I didn’t understand why… And for some reason, I was like, I think it was a couple of weeks or a couple of months. And I look back at it was all like four or five races.”

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When Denny Hamlin had a strikingly similar injury to Alex Bowman

In 2013, Denny Hamlin, then a Sprint Cup driver, endured a compression fracture in his lower back, akin to the injury Alex Bowman faced recently.

This harrowing incident occurred during the last lap of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway near Fontana, California. Hamlin, a prominent member of Joe Gibbs Racing at the time, was locked in a fierce battle with his former teammate Joey Logano for the lead when their cars collided in Turn 4 of the 2-mile speedway.

While Logano managed to recover from the contact, finishing third behind Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr, Hamlin’s car was not as fortunate. It ricocheted off the outside wall and skidded down the bank before making a head-on collision with the unprotected interior wall.

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Hamlin was able to exit his No. 11 Toyota independently but immediately collapsed onto the pavement, where rescue workers rushed to his aid. It did take him some time to fully recover but at the cost of missing a few races. We can expect the same for Bowman, as he recovers from his injury.