NASCAR: Denny Hamlin to sit out Friday night's Nationwide series race

Even young athletes can get a sore back, as in the case of Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin.

He felt so bad that he will miss Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

JGR executives decided to shuffle the line-up for the race. Joey Logano who had been scheduled for the No. 20 Toyota will move into the No. 18 which Hamlin had been slated to drive.

Clint Bowyer, from the rival Michael Waltrip Racing team, will take over the No. 20 Toyota while Brian Scott remains in the No. 11.

Denny Hamlin, Toyota No 18, Nationwide series. (Photo: NASCAR)

“My hope was to run the Nationwide Series race Friday night, but I woke up with a sore back earlier this week and feel it’s in the best interest of the team to sit it out,” said Hamlin. “Luckily it’s nothing serious and the extra rest will help me on Saturday night.”

Joey Logano won this race last year and in seven Nationwide Series starts on the famed track, he has the one win along with three top-five and four top-ten finishes.

Bowyer, a recent Sprint Cup winner in Sonoma, has 13 career Nationwide Series starts at Daytona with one win, eight top-five and 10 top-ten finishes. He has won a total of eight Nationwide Series races over the course of his career. This will be his first start for JGR. Until last year he drove for Richard Childress Racing.

“We’re looking forward to working with Clint and appreciate his willingness to step behind the wheel for us on such short notice,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Denny will be fine, but we just felt it was in his best interest to rest his back and not have him have to practice or race in Nationwide this weekend.”