Riley Herbst Injury Update: Wrist ‘Not Great,’ Denny Hamlin Says

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Denny Hamlin gave a Riley Herbst injury update this week, saying Herbst has “bumps and bruises” and a wrist that is “not great” after his crash at Talladega. Hamlin, a co-owner of Herbst’s 23XI Racing team, added that he would have retired on the spot after a hit like that.

Hamlin gave the update on this week’s episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast. Herbst left Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday with his left wrist and forearm wrapped and a soft cast on his left hand.

Hamlin: ‘He’ll get checked out this week’

“He’s got some bumps and bruises. We’ll see how that goes. And obviously his wrist is not great. So, he’ll get checked out this week,” Hamlin said. “He took one of the biggest hits you can possibly take in this car.”

Hamlin did not give a diagnosis and did not say whether the injury would affect Herbst’s plans for Martinsville.

‘My retirement would become effective immediately’

Joey Logano‘s flip drew most of the attention after the race, but Hamlin said Herbst’s crash was just as bad.

“I can see where Joey would be the highlight, but man, the Riley Herbst hit was just brutal. And two of them, two,” Hamlin said. “My retirement would become effective immediately if I took that hit.”

The crash

The 15-car crash came on Lap 183, with five laps left. Herbst’s No. 35 Toyota hit the outside wall, shot back across the track and hit the inside wall nearly head-on. He climbed out with help from safety workers and was checked at the infield care center and released.

After the race, Herbst said he was OK and joked, “My dad always said if you’re gonna be dumb, you better be tough.” Radio audio from his team showed crew members pleading for an answer from him after the second hit, as Pit This Time reported. NASCAR took his car to its Research and Development Center for further evaluation.

Earlier this season

Herbst missed the August race at Daytona International Speedway with a concussion from a crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

What’s next

The Cup Series races next at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

Pit This Time wishes Riley Herbst a full and speedy recovery.