“T*ts to Knees” Adversity Delaying Complete Recovery From a Painful Setback for Denny Hamlin

When the 2023 NASCAR Cup season concluded, Denny Hamlin wasted no time and chose to undergo surgery. This was because he had been suffering from an old shoulder injury, which was proving to be bothersome in all parts of his life. Of course, the fix wasn’t going to be instant, because the recovery period would be long. So even though the 2024 season is in full swing, Hamlin is still driving with the shoulder issue as it heals.

To be honest, the way the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is racing, it doesn’t seem like he is injured. Especially since he has two wins under his belt, including the Clash at the Coliseum. However, the #11 driver has confessed that even though he has not shown it, the injury is still affecting him. Some of his critics may see it as an excuse if he doesn’t win a title yet again. However, there is no denying that some injuries can be serious if not dealt with properly.

Denny Hamlin opened up on his health

He said on his podcast, “I’m not a 100%, it’ll be 6-9 months for me to get to 100%. I had a good check up this past weekend and he feels like I’m not limited to do anything. It’s fully healed, but getting strength back is a long process for the shoulder. I still don’t feel comfortable throwing anything quite yet. It’s got its fatigue, it’s how you’re steering these cars. I’ve got my arm always up, sawing on the wheel, so it certainly gets tired throughout a day. Every week just keeps getting better.”

The driver also talked about how much it affected him at Circuit of the Americas. Truthfully, COTA was a big test, because ovals just require him to turn left, which wouldn’t strain his shoulder too much. However, the Circuit of the Americas is a road course. This track, as well as Sonoma, Chicago, Watkins Glen, and the Roval, would demand more steering, which can impact the shoulder.

Diving deeper into the effects, The Joe Gibbs Racing driver continued, “That is what I fight most, is inflammation. Inflammation shuts down – you can have a six pack of abs – but if you have inflammation in your cord, or it shuts down all those muscles. It makes you think that you have no core muscles whatsoever. That’s what I fight the most. From my tits to my knees, it gets inflamed and it feels like it is killer on my back. My back is wreaking absolute havoc, which is why, if I go and I cold plunge after the race.”

The #11 driver confessed that throughout his career, he has amassed several injuries, which all required surgery to fix. What makes matters worse is that he also seems to be suffering from a hereditary issue. According to him, his back has some spinal discs that are slowly leaking out fluid. In the end, he just lamented that ‘f**king getting old sucks‘.

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