Denny Hamlin good to go after practice-session accident

Kansas City, KS, United States (4E Sports) – Sprint Cup championship contender Denny Hamlin declared himself “100 percent” and “good to go” after feeling some dizziness due to a practice-session accident Thursday at Kansas Speedway.

“Today waking up, I was good to go,” Hamlin said after Friday’s practice. “I feel 100 percent. I thought I was good yesterday and got better every hour. Now it’s just business as usual for the weekend.”

Hemlin also guaranteed that the accident will not change the way he will run Saturday at the Hollywood Casino 400.

Hamlin hit the wall when his No. 11 Toyota spun up the track in practice Thursday. He admitted he was dizzy after the incident.

Doctors examined Hamlin in the infield care center and asked him to come back about an hour later to test him again. After that, was cleared to race.

Hamlin is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, just 15 points behind leader Brad Keselowski.

After the accident, Hamlin said he now understands a driver might hesitate to admit a possible concussion especially if he is in contention for the championship.

“No doubt about it,” Hamlin said. “You would do whatever it took to stay in the car in a championship battle. But the one thing you can’t hide is the signs you’re not right.

“You can say you’re good, but if you don’t pass the tests, doctors aren’t going to let you in the car. The competitor in you fires all cylinders, but if you’re not right, you’re not right,” he added.

Hamlin’s crash happened on the new racing surface at Kansas, the same place where Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion in a crash during a testing session in August.

Earnhardt is sitting out his second consecutive race after doctors advised him to rest after another hard crash at Talladega on Oct. 7.

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