Driver suffered from a migraine and nausea during Coca-Cola 600
CONCORD, N.C. -- Denny Hamlin made a brief appearance in the media center long after the conclusion of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Eighth-place finishers don’t normally do that. Neither do drivers who go straight from pit road to the infield medical center.
Hamlin dropped by only long enough to offer congratulations to race-winner Carl Edwards, crew chief Darian Grubb (his former pit caller) and team owner Joe Gibbs.
He was, however, on his feet, and that was a bonus considering his physical state when he first climbed from his car. Suffering from a migraine headache, Hamlin sat down next to his car on pit road with head in his hands. He eventually got up and took a few uncertain steps before team personnel stepped in to assist. He was transported to the infield care center moments later.
“My off day was 36 holes of golf and a full tennis match,” Hamlin said afterward. “Probably overdid it a little bit this weekend. I think the dehydration led to a migraine and I just felt nauseous the last 100 laps or so. Thank goodness that didn’t cost us the win.
“Just the bad end of that strategy … but still proud of our team for really giving me a car that could contend for a win."
Although he led twice for 53 laps in Sunday’s 400-lap race, and was out front with less than 40 laps remaining, a vibration sent the No. 11 Toyota to pit road under green. From there, separate pit-stop strategies kept the 34-year-old playing catch-up.
Prior to the stop, he and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing) appeared to have the cars to beat.
“That part of it stunk a little bit, but the 78 (Truex) came back and passed us anyway. When he came back out, he had fresher air … I came out kind of middle of the pack and just couldn’t run the lap times I needed to.”
This year’s winner at Martinsville, Hamlin said he felt better after the trip to the care center.
“You just try to power through it and of course when you run well, you always feel a little bit better,” he said, “but when the race is over and everything comes to a stop, you realize how bad you feel.”