NASCAR standings 2014: Denny Hamlin released from hospital; Martinsville status unknown
After missing Sunday’s race due to a sinus infection which caused blurred vision, Denny Hamlin has been released from the hospital and will continue to undergo tests.
Denny Hamlin was released from the hospital Sunday night after undergoing tests for a sinus infection that affected his vision.
In a statement, Joe Gibbs Racing said the 33-year-old driver will be evaluated by a doctor in the Charlotte area this week. Hamlin missed the Auto Club 400, with Sam Hornish Jr. driving in his place.
Hamlin had been suffering a sinus infection throughout the weekend. The problem persisted and started to cause blurred vision Sunday morning, at which time Hamlin consulted with a doctor who advised him to seek further evaluation at a local hospital and would not clear him to race.
“It got to where he couldn’t see and having trouble with the vision in his left eye because of the pressure and everything that was going on,” crew chief Darian Grubb told MRN.com. “At that point, NASCAR did some testing and he could not follow the finger going by his eyes as he should have been. They weren’t going to let him go.”
An hour before the race was to begin, JGR scrambled to put Sam Hornish Jr., who was on standby for expectant father Matt Kenseth, in the No. 11 car. Making his first Sprint Cup start in almost a year, Hornish was running near the top 10 before late contact with Paul Menard caused him to drift up the track. He finished 17th.
Sunday was the fifth race Hamlin had missed within the past year. He broke his back in a last-lap crash last April at Fontana.
Hamlin retains his eligibility for the Chase for the Sprint Cup because NASCAR only requires drivers attempt to qualify for all 26 regular season races, which he did Friday. By sitting out the Auto Club 400, Hamlin dropped from seventh in the point standings to 11th overall. His status for the upcoming race at Martinsville Speedway is unknown.
Sprint Cup Series point standings
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind | Wins |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 186 | 1 | |
| 2 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 185 | -1 | 1 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | 184 | -2 | 0 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | 182 | -4 | 1 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 179 | -7 | 0 |
| 6 | Jimmie Johnson | 165 | -21 | 0 |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | 158 | -28 | 1 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | 150 | -36 | 0 |
| 9 | Austin Dillon | 150 | -36 | 0 |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 146 | -40 | 0 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 140 | -46 | 0 |
| 12 | Jamie McMurray | 138 | -48 | 0 |
| 13 | Brian Vickers | 137 | -49 | 0 |
| 14 | Paul Menard | 134 | -52 | 0 |
| 15 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 132 | -54 | 0 |
| 16 | Kyle Larson | 131 | -55 | 0 |
| 17 | Tony Stewart | 127 | -59 | 0 |
| 18 | Casey Mears | 126 | -60 | 0 |
| 19 | Kasey Kahne | 123 | -63 | 0 |
| 20 | Greg Biffle | 122 | -64 | 0 |
| 21 | Marcos Ambrose | 122 | -64 | 0 |
| 22 | A.J. Allmendinger | 118 | -68 | 0 |
| 23 | Clint Bowyer | 114 | -72 | 0 |
| 24 | Kurt Busch | 99 | -87 | 0 |
| 25 | Kevin Harvick | 97 | -89 | 1 |
| 26 | Aric Almirola | 96 | -90 | 0 |
| 27 | Danica Patrick | 92 | -94 | 0 |
| 28 | Reed Sorenson | 91 | -95 | 0 |
| 29 | Justin Allgaier | 88 | -98 | 0 |
| 30 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 82 | -104 | 0 |
| 31 | Michael Annett | 75 | -111 | 0 |
| 32 | Cole Whitt | 71 | -115 | 0 |
| 33 | David Ragan | 69 | -117 | 0 |
| 34 | David Gilliland | 67 | -119 | 0 |
| 35 | Alex Bowman | 65 | -121 | 0 |
| 36 | Josh Wise | 50 | -136 | 0 |
| 37 | Ryan Truex | 33 | -153 | 0 |
| 38 | Parker Kligerman | 33 | -153 | 0 |
| 39 | Travis Kvapil | 33 | -153 | 0 |
| 40 | Bobby Labonte | 29 | -157 | 0 |
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