Denny Hamlin, who just wrapped up a three-win campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023, underwent a successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday, according to a press release from Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hamlin's procedure was performed by Dr. Patrick Connor at Charlotte Surgery Center, and Hamlin is expected to fully recover from the surgery before the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 43-year-old racer has 51 NASCAR Cup Series victories on his résumé.
Hamlin is the second big-name driver to announce shoulder surgery this NASCAR Cup Series offseason as Chase Elliott announced on November 17th that he had undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum.
The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry has worked his way through several injuries over the course of his lengthy NASCAR Cup Series career. Hamlin suffered a torn ACL in his left knee while playing basketball during the 2010 season. Hamlin won at Martinsville Speedway with the injury and then had surgery days later to correct the torn ligament.
In 2013, Hamlin suffered an L1 compression fracture in his back after a last-lap crash at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin would miss six weeks of action as his back healed, but he was able to avoid surgery for that injury.
Hamlin would suffer a torn ACL in his right knee prior to the start of the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Hamlin would have knee surgery in the 2015 offseason.
And in the 2019 offseason, Hamlin had surgery to address a torn labrum, which was, "Something that [had] been nagging for years."
Hamlin scored three victories during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and they came at Kansas Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and the Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Chesterfield, Virginia native scored four consecutive top-five finishes in the Playoffs heading into the Round of 8, which had the driver believing that 2023 was finally the year that he would break through for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Ultimately, it wasn't meant to be, as Hamlin was eliminated in the Round of 8, mainly due to a mechanical failure, which sent him into the outside wall on Lap 236 of the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Hamlin will look to battle for a championship in 2024 as he works his way back to full strength following his shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Craig White, TobyChristie.com
