Denny Hamlin Joins Chase Elliott After Getting Shoulder Surgery in Off-Season

After an impressive run in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs, Denny Hamlin looked likely to make it to the Championship 4. However, his form took a hit in the dying races of the knockout stages. Eventually, he failed to qualify for the finale at Phoenix Raceway. While that was painful enough, recent news confirms that he underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season.

It was less than a week ago that Chase Elliott went through the same type of surgery. While Elliott did so to fix an old injury, the details of Hamlin’s injury are yet to be disclosed.

Denny Hamlin should make it in time before the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season

After a promising start to the 2023 playoffs, Denny Hamlin struggled with his on-track performances. While some of it should be credited to misfortune, he ended the season with a fifth-placed finish in the points standings. However, the news of his shoulder surgery has come out of the blue as it did with Chase Elliott.

At no point in the 2023 Cup Series season, did it look like Hamlin had issues with his shoulder. Having said that, in the final episode of his podcast “Actions Detrimental”, the 43-year-old hinted about surgery in a cryptic way. Back then, he said, “I’ve got some recovery to do physically. I’ve got to get some stuff fixed.

“It’s just part of normal maintenance for me on the offseason, like ‘what surgery are we having?’ It’s like pretty on the regular at this point, but once we get that stuff fixed, I think I certainly will be better and ready to get going for 2024.”

As confirmed by the officials of Joe Gibbs Racing in a NASCAR.com report, Hamlin’s surgery on his right shoulder went well. Dr. Patrick Connor carried the arthroscopic procedure out at Charlotte Surgery Center. It is expected that the #11 driver will be back before the Busch Light Clash at the Colesium race on 4th February.

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Most certainly, JGR will be hoping there’s nothing more to the injury on the right shoulder. Interestingly, the same doctor carried out the same type of surgery on his left shoulder back in 2019.

When Hamlin underwent surgery on his left shoulder in 2019

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It is no secret how Denny Hamlin has time and again struggled with injuries with his shoulder. Like how he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, he went through the same on his left shoulder after the 2019 Cup Series season. Back then, it was to repair a torn labrum.

Speaking about it to usatoday.com in 2019, Hamlin said, “It’s something that has been nagging (me) really for years. I’ve had shoulder issues. It just got to the point where it was really bad and got it scanned and figured out what it was. It hadn’t really affected me in the car at all. That part has really been fine.”

Hopefully, this time around, there’s nothing serious with Hamlin’s surgery. After all, Joe Gibbs Racing will be relying heavily on him to make it big come the next season. With his experience and hunger for a championship win, nothing can be ruled out.

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