After his victory at Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 in Martinsville, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin underwent a successful surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee which was torn while playing basketball.
Although a full recovery will take several months, Hamlin will attempt to race at Phoenix International Raceway for the Subway Fresh Fit 600. Still Casey Mears will be stand by and will serve as his backup driver.
JGR President J.D. Gibbs. quoted:
"Whether he can drive will depend on his pain tolerance... He will start rehab immediately and now we can concentrate on getting his knee back to full strength. The doctors tell us it will improve with each passing week and that he cannot damage it by driving.
We expect him to be in the car in Phoenix, but we’re fortunate to have Casey Mears standing by in case he would need to come out of the car for any reason."
