Denny Hamlin plans to return at Richmond

Hamlin plans to drive the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota in Saturday’s Toyota Owners 400 (7 p.m. ET, FOX) at Richmond International Raceway, not far from his hometown of Chesterfield, Virginia. Hamlin already has one Sprint Cup victory this season — at Martinsville Speedway — and is a two-time winner at Richmond.

Hamlin left Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer in the midst of a nearly four-hour rain delay after just 22 laps, saying he “pulled something in my neck and upper back at about Lap 12.” His JGR team flew NASCAR Next driver Erik Jones in from the Charlotte area, and the 18-year-old driver brought the car home to a 26th-place finish, marking his first-ever laps in a Sprint Cup car.

RELATED: Jones subs for Hamlin at Bristol

“Obviously, getting out of the car on Sunday was a very tough decision, and Erik did an admirable job under difficult circumstances,” Hamlin said in a release provided by his primary sponsor, FedEx. “After treatment this week, I feel close to 100 percent, and I’m confident that I’ll be good to go this weekend in Richmond. It’s a great track for our team, and one that means a lot to me personally. Hopefully, we can go out there and compete for the win on Saturday night.”

Before Hamlin hits the .75-mile track for Friday’s practice, he’ll serve as the host for his namesake charity race, the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at nearby South Boston Speedway. Hamlin also plans to drive in the eighth annual Late Model invitational Thursday night, mixing it up with Sprint Cup regular David Ragan, defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champ Chase Elliott and many regional short-track heavyweights.

Proceeds from the 200-lap event benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation, which funds cystic fibrosis research. The race will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis next month on the NBC Sports Network.

“The Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown has become a great event to highlight grassroots racers that are doing exactly what I did while coming through the ranks,” Hamlin said. “We have raised a lot of money for the Denny Hamlin Foundation and cystic fibrosis research over the years, and certainly could not do the race without our sponsors. FedEx has been a huge supporter of the foundation since the beginning in 2008, and they are a big part of the race again this year. With NBC Sports Network coming on board this year, we’ll be able to show this great event to a national audience.”

.@dennyhamlin has been listed as probable for this weekend’s race at @RIRInsider for all you @NASCAR Fantasy owners. #injuryreport

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 22, 2015

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