Denny Hamlin has been making waves recently in the NASCAR community after revealing his rather surprising new hairstyle earlier this week. But while many fans believed Hamlin would once again ban many of the fans who started trolling the 43-year-old on his buzz cut, the JGR star revealed recently that he’s quite a changed man as of late, and nothing is going to faze him.

Speaking of the challenges in Hamlin’s path, the shoulder injury he suffered last year caused the #11 Toyota driver to miss out on any major accolades in the 2023 season. And now that the 2024 season is only a stone’s throw away, Hamlin reflected on how his rehabilitation has been going and clarified his stance on pardoning his online haters.

The JGR driver dismisses online trolls while providing an update on his shoulder

Only a few days ago, we reported that Denny Hamlin had unblocked over 650 accounts on Twitter, claiming that the new year had made him rather forgiving. And when speaking to Fox about the whole ordeal, Hamlin shared his reasoning behind the move. “Everybody deserves a second chance.” After all, the fans have also given Hamlin plenty of second chances.

When the 43-year-old was asked if he was back to blocking accounts already, Hamlin retorted, “No, I’ve got thick skin; I’m willing to take a little bit; as long as it’s, you know, halfway respectful, I can take it. Probably a little thicker-skinned now for sure.” The NASCAR community itself was all smiles, with many previously blocked users coming forward to commend Hamlin for giving them a second shot.

Speaking of second chances, Hamlin also gave us an update on how his shoulder injury rehabilitation is coming along. He shared that the recovery period had been really difficult owing to the intensity of the injury, giving us a realistic timeframe. Denny Hamlin stayed: “They told me it was going to be three months; there’s just, there’s no shortcuts around it, so it’s gonna be three months before I get back to 100%, but certainly I feel better than I did to end this season, so you know we’ll work our way through the clash and then get stronger and go on from there.”

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While the 43-year-old is certain he’ll be fit and fine in time for the 2024 season, fans feared that a replacement would have to stand in for Hamlin at the Bush Light clash. But now that Hamlin’s revealed his thick skin, it’s safe to say the 23XI owner will himself pilot the Joe Gibbs Racing Challenger.

Here’s why the Clash at the Coliseum is so challenging for Denny Hamlin

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When asked about having a backup in place for the Clash at the Coliseum, Denny Hamlin stated that the team was not planning on it at the moment. He was already back in the simulator and aiming for a complete recovery by practicing his range of motion. Hamlin shared, “Strength is going to be the biggest thing that hinders me but we would actually rather it fatigue ourselves out at the Clash. That way, I’m stronger two weeks from then.”

Denny Hamlin also revealed how the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum felt like the most physically demanding track on the simulator. Owing to the constant turning that cars go through on such a short track, his shoulder would face immense pressure. But the JGR driver felt he could capitalize on it. He added, “It’s a relatively short race; you never really run that many laps under green at one time, so counting on plenty of caution laps like we usually have.”

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While the NASCAR community on X certainly can’t stop making Hamlin’s hair the subject of their banter, will the 43-year-old recover from his shoulder injury in time to be competitive at Daytona?