Martin was originally announced as the interim driver of the No. 11 soon after Hamlin sustained a spinal injury in a last-lap crash also involving Joey Logano in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on March 24. But plans have been modified somewhat with Martin now slated to be in the car for the Martinsville race and then Vickers assuming driving duties from the Texas race until Hamlin is able to return. Hamlin is expected to be out of the car for several weeks.

“Obviously, having to find someone to fill in for Denny is not an ideal situation to have to be in and when you start a process like this you obviously begin to look at the drivers that are not only available but also able to drive for your race team and manufacturer,” Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said. “We were a bit premature in determining Mark’s status past Martinsville, however.”

Both Martin and Vickers share driving duties of the No. 55 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. Vickers will drive that car at Martinsville before Martin returns to the seat at Texas. Vickers also drive a Joe Gibbs Racing entry full-time in the Nationwide Series.

“We’re real happy to have the opportunity to get Brian in our Cup cars and with him driving Nationwide for us, we think we have some continuity there that is beneficial,” Gibbs said.

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“We’ve been real fortunate to have never been in this situation with the need to find someone to fill in for an injured driver,” Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said. “A lot goes into a decision like this, but we are really pleased to have someone of the character and caliber of Mark Martin to fill in while Denny is out. Obviously, we’re not exactly sure how long that is going to take, but Mark’s career speaks for itself and our team knows it will have the opportunity to compete for a win every week.”

Speculation based on a doctor’s diagnosis has Hamlin’s recovery period at approximately six weeks. The Sprint Cup Series is off during the Easter weekend but will return to action April 7 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Martin is a part-time driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, sharing driving duties of the No. 55 MWR Toyota with Brian Vickers and car owner Michael Waltrip. He has 858-career Sprint Cup starts to his credit that have resulted in 40 race wins, 271 top-fives and 449 top-10 finishes.

“I’m happy to have this opportunity to help out JGR, (sponsor) FedEx and Denny,” Martin said. “Hopefully, I can keep those guys up front and compete for wins while Denny heals up.”

– Photo courtesy of Getty Images for NASCAR

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