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Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday revealed that their star driver, Denny Hamlin, has undergone successful surgery on his right shoulder. According to the team, Dr. Patrick Connor of the Charlotte Surgery Center performed the surgery, and Hamlin is expected to be physically ready for the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
JGR didn’t specify the exact nature of his shoulder injury or how it happened. This marks the second shoulder surgery the NASCAR legend has undergone; the previous one was in 2019.
In a statement, Joe Gibbs Racing said:
“Joe Gibbs Racing announces that Denny Hamlin underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder earlier today. The surgery was completed by Dr. Patrick Connor at Charlotte Surgery Center. Hamlin is expected to fully recover in time for the start of the 2024 season.”
Last week, Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott also revealed that he underwent shoulder surgery to fix an old injury.
Both the NASCAR top drivers will be fully fit before the 2024 season resumes with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum exhibition race on February 4.
Denny Hamlin had an outstanding 2023 NASCAR season, registering three wins (including one playoff win), 14 top-5 and 18 top-10 finishes in 36 races. He missed out on making it to the final four and finished fifth in the final championship standings with 2383 points.
Denny Hamlin hints at having surgery during the podcast
Recently, in the season finale of his Actions Detrimental Podcast, the three-time Daytona 500 winner spoke about some of his offseason plans.
“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,” Hamlin said as quoted by NASCAR.com.
In an 18-year-old long and illustrative career, Denny Hamlin earned 71 career victories, 451 top-10 finishes, and 62 poles. His 51-Cup wins include nine crown jewel races - three Daytona 500s, three Bristol Night Races, two Southern 500s and one Coca-Cola 600. The 43-year-old will be eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame starting in 2026.
The #11 JGR Toyota driver would be looking forward to capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series title in 2024.
