Following the conclusion of the 2023 NASCAR Cup season, Denny Hamlin went under the knife. This was because he had been nursing a shoulder injury for a while, and it hampered his title quest. Since then, the surgery has been successful and the road to recovery began for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. However, this also meant that he was in a race against time to recover in time for the new season.

Fortunately, there is good news, as Hamlin has confirmed that he will recover in time. Initially, his participation in the Clash at the Coliseum was doubtful, but that is thankfully no longer the case. According to Bob Pockrass, the #11 driver’s shoulder rehabilitation is still ongoing. However, Denny Hamlin dismissed the idea of having a backup driver on standby. The JGR star’s arthroscopic surgery was reportedly very invasive, and he was advised to keep his right arm immobile for three months. Now, it looks like progress has been swift, and Hamlin should be right as rain very soon.

The surgery took place on November 22nd, a couple of weeks after the 2023 season finale. Frankly, Hamlin was cutting it very close with his recovery period, but everything seems to be going smoothly. He said about his surgery, “It’s obviously depressing when you wake up from your anaesthesia and know you’ve got three months of just a limp arm that you can’t do anything with. This is a genetics thing where the bone just grows a little bit too long. As you keep agitating. I popped some tendons that [Vegas] week and then the following week had another incident and then just trying to race on it was just not good.”

Denny Hamlin was not the only one having a surgery

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver will not be alone in his hospital visits. As it turns out, Chase Elliott also had a minor surgery after the 2023 Cup Series championship. The good news is that Elliott’s surgery was milder compared to Hamlin’s so his Clash at the Coliseum participation was never in doubt. This will be a big boon for him, considering the terrible 2023 campaign that he endured.

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Speaking about his injury last year, Elliott said, “Anytime you have surgery, and you go through the process, any little setback can slow the process down. But thus far everything has gone really well. The way I see things today, I don’t think there’s anything that would make me think that next year will be compromised at the beginning of the season, including the Clash.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver probably has no excuse this time

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For years, Denny Hamlin has been fighting for a NASCAR Cup Series championship. Every time, it has always been so close, yet so far, and he is not getting any younger. Last year, he lost yet another chance, and part of it may have been down to the injury. In 2024 though, there is most likely no excuses, as he will be fighting fit now and eager to hit the ground running.

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