NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin reveals 'crime scene' verdict on massive wreck

Denny Hamlin has opened up on a massive wreck in the NASCAR Cup Series, describing the area the incident took place in as a 'crime scene'.

Alex Bowman had a scary wreck at Michigan on Sunday, the force of his nose-first impact into the outside barrier lifting most of his car off the ground and bringing out a red flag for the race.

Bowman avoided serious injury, a testament to the work NASCAR has done to improve the safety standards of their cars and tracks, but Hamlin admitted that he knew immediately that the wreck must've been a big one.

Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast this week, he said: "I knew it had to be a big lick, because they wouldn't even let us go through this crime scene. The caution came out for us, I think I was somewhere on the back stretch, and we were stopped right after the start-finish line.

"So, at that point, when it goes red that quickly, I'm like, 'Oh, must've had a big one.' I point myself out to look at the screen to see the replay, and I was like, 'Whoa, that was a big hit.'"

READ MORE: Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson among NASCAR Cup Series stars hit with penalties at Michigan

Hamlin admits injury may never fully heal

The 44-year-old, no stranger to wrecks over his long career, was asked about the impact of the crash and the lasting impact of dramatic wrecks of that type.

"You certainly feel it more so the day after and the following days," he explained. "Like, for instance, my wrist from Daytona - I think it's still not right from where it was. Like, I'm so old now, it's like, will it ever be right again? It just sucks to put any kind of pressure on it.

"It's just, I think it's different for everyone. People recover differently. But yeah, I mean, head-on impact like that.

"Certainly when the Next Gen originally came out and it was solid as a rock, you know, before they started cutting up the roll cage and all kinds of stuff to get the impacts a little bit softer, you know, that could've been a way worse wreck than what it appears that it resulted in."

READ MORE: NASCAR star Ross Chastain benefits as Team Penske driver demoted after Michigan race NASCAR Cup Series

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