Denny Hamlin suffered a compression fracture in his lower spine during a last-lap crash while racing for the win against former teammate Joey Logano, and Joe Gibbs Racing gave no indication Monday how long its driver could be sidelined. "I just want to go home," Hamlin tweeted from a hospital in Southern California. He later posted a photo of himself giving a thumbs-up and appeared to be wearing a back brace. The team said he had what is called an L1 compression fracture; essentially, the first vertebra in the lumbar section of his spine collapsed. Hamlin was released from the hospital Monday night, and JGR said hed return to North Carolina to be evaluated by Dr. Jerry Petty of Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates. A reporter from USA Today spoke to Hamlin outside the hospital and reported Hamlin, wearing a back brace, walked out on his own. NASCAR does not race this weekend, but returns to action April 7 at Martinsville Speedway, where Hamlin, who is 10th in the Sprint Cup standings, is a four-time winner. Hamlin was airlifted from the Fontana track after a collision with Logano sent him nearly head-on into the inside wall in a place where Auto Club Speedway does not have energy-absorbing SAFER barriers. There are barriers on the inside of some of the walls, but portions of the track between Turns 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4 are not protected. Track spokesman David Talley said Monday the SAFER barriers are installed upon NASCARs recommendation, and track officials will wait to see what, if anything, NASCAR recommends after Hamlins accident. "NASCAR is reviewing the incident and any improvements that can be made, will be made," Talley said. "If NASCAR feels that additional SAFER Barriers are needed, then we will absolutely make those enhancements. SAFER barrier recommendations are based on past history and this is a situation we, nor NASCAR has ever seen at this track before." IndyCar last year returned to Auto Club Speedway for the first time since 2005 and the season finale is scheduled to be held at the track in October. But the issue of the SAFER barriers and Hamlins impact seemed to be overshadowed by the most recent flare-up in this new feud. Logano managed to finish third despite wrecking into the outside wall after hitting Hamlin, who spun Logano last week at Bristol to spark a bitter post-race confrontation. Because of the recent bickering between the former teammates, Logano was somewhat defiant after Sundays accident. "He probably shouldnt have done what he did last week, so thats what he gets," Logano said. On Monday, Loganos car owner said the driver was unaware of Hamlins condition when he made the comment during a television interview. "Thats a tough thing, Joey had no idea what the situation was with Denny when he was doing the interview," Roger Penske said. "Its one of those things that came out and taken out of context isnt what he meant. He cant take it back, but people are certainly blowing that up to mean something different than what he knew at the time." Tony Stewart also got into a post-race shoving match with Logano, who aggressively blocked Stewart on a late restart. Stewart claimed Logano threw a water bottle at him when he approached, but crews separated the two before it turned into a full fight. Stewart later railed against the 22-year-old Logano in several interviews and accused him of being "nothing but a little rich kid thats never had to work in his life." Logano was 18 when he broke into NASCAR with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 with the nickname "Sliced Bread." Hed risen rapidly through the racing ranks with the financial backing from his father, Tom, who used funds from the familys Connecticut waste management company to help his two children pursue their dreams. Logano had the means to pursue a racing career, and was in Georgia racing quarter midgets at the age of 6 while his older sister chased a life of competitive ice skating. But Tom Loganos near-constant presence at the NASCAR races hurt Loganos reputation, and him angrily demanding his son go after Kevin Harvick after a 2010 incident at Pocono only made things worse. On Monday, Patricia Driscoll, girlfriend of Kurt Busch, referred to Logano as (hash)TrustFundRacer in a series of tweets that accused him of reckless racing with "no less than 5 drivers." "We were lucky that none of the others were hurt by his actions," Driscoll tweeted. An agitated Penske thought the criticism of Loganos upbringing was out of line. "Hes a solid young man and his family has supported him in racing as many families of professional athletes do in every sport," Penske said. "Anyone who looks at that as a criticism, to focus on that is just petty." He also said he supported his driver, who signed last year to join the Penske Racing organization as teammate to defending Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. "Listen, Joey is a great driver and what happened at the end there wasnt anything more than hard racing," Penske said. "I stand behind him and I think hes going to go down as one of the greatest drivers to ever race." It never developed at JGR, where Logano replaced Stewart in 2009 and was teammates with Busch and Hamlin. Signs of a rift between Hamlin and Logano didnt show publicly until after this years season-opening Daytona 500, when the two exchanged barbs on Twitter. Then came an on-track incident at Bristol last week, more exchanges on Twitter, and finally their last-lap battle for the win at Fontana. Although the crash seemed to be a result of hard racing, Loganos lack of empathy immediately after the race gave the impression his contact with Hamlin was intentional. Hamlin got himself out of the car, but then slumped to the ground beside it before an ambulance arrived. He was eventually airlifted out due to traffic around the track. The injury is a bit more common in open-wheel racing, which has had three incidents of drivers breaking their backs since 2009. Will Power broke several vertebrae in his lower back in a 2009 crash during practice at Sonoma and missed that event and the final three races of the season. He couldnt train for two months and wore a back brace for almost four months. He also suffered a compression fracture of his fourth thoracic vertebra in the 2011 season finale at Las Vegas but missed no racing as he healed during the off-season. Justin Wilson fractured his fifth thoracic vertebra in 2011 and missed the last six races of the season. Wilson said he was in a back brace for 10 weeks. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti fractured the L1 vertebra in his back in a 2003 motorcycle accident. He needed surgery and was out of a race car for almost nine months. In NASCAR, Sterling Marlin missed the last seven races of the 2002 season with a fractured vertebra in his neck. Adidas Zx Flux Dam . -- The Baltimore Ravens have released cornerback Domonique Foxworth. Nike Air Max 90 Dam . Both teams were conference finalists a year ago, both clubs have an unmistakable identity that defines them, both play unselfish, defence-first basketball and in the last four days, both have reminded the Raptors how far they are from competing at their level. http://www.skorbutikrea.net/adidas-originals-zx-flux.html . On the night the Knicks honoured the 40th anniversary of their last championship team, Anthony finished with 41 points, tying a franchise record with this third straight 40-point game, and New York beat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83 for its 11th straight victory. Nike Free 3.0 v4 Herr .53 seconds -- the fifth-fastest of the morning races. Hayden, the 2007 World champion and 2011 World silver medallist in the event, was left disappointed at Beijing 2008. Nike Air Max Thea Herr . Avery, the Orioles second-round pick in the 2008 draft, was poised to make his major league debut in Sundays game against Tampa Bay. He hit leadoff and was in left field. The 22-year-old Avery hit .NEW YORK -- James Blake rested his white baseball hat on the table at the front of the U.S. Opens main interview room, smiled, and began speaking Monday about his impending retirement from tennis. The former top-five player was relaxed, composed and matter-of-fact. "No real surprise here. This is my last tournament," the 33-year-old American said on Day 1 of the years last Grand Slam. "I have had 14 pretty darn good years on tour, loved every minute of it, and I definitely couldnt have asked for a better career." As Blake continued with his opening statement, discussing why he decided to leave the tour after the U.S. Open, he explained: "There are so many athletes that say they can never replace that feeling of having that adrenaline rush, but I get more of an adrenaline rush now seeing my daughter wake up in the morning. Thats something that Im truly looking forward to -- being able to spend more time with my wife and daughter." And with that, his voice got caught on the words and his eyes reddened. Blake reached with his left hand to wipe away tears, until someone in the audience tossed him a white towel to dab at his eyes. "Despite the tears, Im actually really happy about this," Blake said. "I can do it on my own terms. Always wanted to do that. I thought about it a ton this year." Blake, who attended Harvard before turning pro in 1999, reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in 2006. He is currently 100th and has a 9-13 record this season heading into his first-round match in the U.S. Open against Ivo Karlovic. "I dont kid myself. I know I have had a great career in my eyes, but its not one thats going to go down in the history books," Blake said. "Its not one thats going to end in Newport" -- the home of the International Tennis Hall of Fame -- "but its one that Im proud of." Blake joined Andy Roddick and twins Bob and Mike Bryan to help the United States beat Russia in the 2007 Davis Cup final in Portland, Ore., giving the Americans their first title in that international competition in 12 years, their countrys longest gap between victories. "My proudest moment was Portland, without a doubt," Blake said. He won 10 singles titles, most recently in 2007. At Grand Slam tournaments, he reached the quarterfinals three times, including twice at the U.S. Open, losing at that stage in New York to Andre Agassi in 2005, and to Roger Federer the following year. That five-set losss to Agassi, Blake said, was his "biggest highlight and lowlight, at the same time.dddddddddddd" This tournament always seemed to bring out the best in Blake, who was born in Yonkers and went to high school in Connecticut. He closed his news conference Monday by describing how he used to sneak under a fence as a kid to get into the U.S. Open without paying. Long a fan favourite at Flushing Meadows, his matches often were accompanied by raucous cheering and chanting from a sizable group of supporters known as the "J-Block." "Obviously, the U.S. Open was a special place for him. I understand how he would want to end here. You know, I think he still has a lot of great tennis in him, but hes decided that now is the time for him," said Venus Williams, the 2000-01 U.S. Open champion. "He has a family now, so those are important priorities, from what I hear. Hes ready, so all we can do is support him." Blakes announcement came a year after Roddick, his friend and former Davis Cup teammate, decided to make the U.S. Open the final tournament of his career. "I know Andys decision last year was a little different. ... We got along great, but he was a little more impetuous at times, and Im definitely a little more thought-out and it takes me a little longer," Blake said. "It took me a while to come to this decision, so Im really happy with it and comfortable with it." He talked about having come close to being forced to end his playing days nearly a decade ago because of two health scares. In May 2004, during a practice session for a tournament in Rome, Blake slipped on the clay court and slammed into a net post, breaking vertebrae in his neck. In August of that year, he got an illness that affected his sight and temporarily paralyzed part of his face. In between, his father died from stomach cancer; Blake wound up raising millions of dollars for cancer research. Asked what his plans are for now, Blake said he wants to work on his golf game -- and change his 1-year-olds diapers. Looking "way down the road," as he put it, he would like to be the U.S. Davis Cup captain, and perhaps work as a television commentator. At this very moment, though, he would like to win a match or two at his final tournament. "I dont want to be dragged out of this game. I dont want someone telling me I need to leave," Blake said. "I want to leave on my own terms. Im happy doing that right now." cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '