Denny Hamlin explains what happened to his front tire changer during Gateway red flag

Even during a red flag, things can get pretty dangerous at a NASCAR race. Denny Hamlin’s front tire changer, AJ Rosini, learned that the hard way during last weekend’s Enjoy Illinois 300.

NASCAR waved the red flag just a few laps into last Sunday’s race due to lightning strikes. You’d think everyone would be relaxed during that time, right?

Wrong.

Rosini took an air hose to the face, forcing the No. 11 team crew member to receive nearly a dozen stitches. On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin explained what happened in the garage area during that red flag.

“I was sitting on top of the pit box, just kind of chillin’, and you just hear a loud (sound) and you instantly hear him say, ‘F***!,'” Hamlin said. “I was like, ‘Uh, oh.’ And I guess the regulator bust — they were working on it — and even when it’s turned off, you’ve still got pressure in the line. So, when it disconnected or bust or whatever happened, it flew out, hit him right in the face.

“Took out a tooth and his upper lip was just kinda dangling there for a second. … I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is terrible.’ For him, first of all. But then, I’m cursed — under red, we lose a crew guy?”

Based on Hamlin’s description of the incident, you could certainly understand if Rosini wanted to sit out of last weekend’s race. Instead, he decided to continue to pit the car.

It worked out pretty well for the No. 11 team.

Hamlin finishes second at Enjoy Illinois 300

Thanks to some strong driving and great pit times on Sunday, Hamlin enjoyed a second-place finish at the Enjoy Illinois 300. Although he would’ve liked to win, it was still a strong performance from the No. 11 team.

Hamlin gave his pit crew team a major shoutout for their efforts in St. Louis.

“AJ, (he’s) the man, he sucked it up and they gave me their best weekend on pit road to date,” Hamlin said. “So, shoutout to my 11 team for a great day on pit road.”

Sunday marked Hamlin’s sixth top-10 finish of the season and the fourth time he’s ended a race inside the top-five. He’s still sitting on one win during the regular season, taking the checkered flag at Kansas Speedway.

Hamlin ranks eighth in the current NASCAR Cup Series standings heading into this weekend’s race at Sonoma.