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Sprint Cup
CUP: Hamlin Still Targeting Championship
Denny Hamlin is currently 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings....
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin is recovering from knee surgery. (Photo: Getty Images)
Despite being scheduled to undergo serious knee surgery next week, Denny Hamlin says his Sprint Cup championship hopes remain alive.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Saturday that Hamlin, who injured his left knee playing basketball in January, is scheduled to undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery Monday in Charlotte, N.C. If Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway is postponed by weather to Monday – a considerable possibility if weather forecasts are correct, the surgery would be rescheduled for Tuesday.
There is no Sprint Cup race scheduled next weekend, so Hamlin would have 12 days to rest the knee before attempting to drive at Phoenix International Raceway in the seventh race of the season April 10.
On Saturday, Hamlin said driver Casey Mears has been hired as his standby in case he needs a substitute or an in-race replacement during the recovery period. Hamlin said he hopes he won’t miss any races and that the recovery period will be over by the fall, when he hopes to be competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He is currently 19th in points.
Hamlin said he will be on crutches at least until practice for the Phoenix race begins.
“From there, we’ll just kind of see where our range of motion is and things like that,” he said. “As long as they can just pry me in that seat, they’ll have a tough time prying me out.”
Hamlin had planned to have the surgery at the end of the season, but continuing problems with the knee forced a change, he said.
“We were doing some further damage to the knee, and, to me, it’s not something that’s worth suffering forever or having a permanent limp or anything like that,” he said. “It just didn’t make much sense. The goal right now is to go ahead and get it done on Monday – as soon as I can early Monday morning.
“Right now, he (surgeon Dr. Patrick Connor) says that I’ll be able to get in the car at Phoenix. There’s no doubt that I’ll be able to get in it. It’s just tolerance of pain is what’s going to be the limiting factor.”
Depending on the speed of the recovery, Hamlin said it’s possible that he could start several races and allow Mears to replace him during the event. A driver must start a race to earn points in the driver standings for that event.
“Our number one goal is to make the Chase,” Hamlin said. “If we get there, then we’re going to be healthy when we get there, and then we’ll be able to be contenders when that happens. Right now, it’s about damage control, I guess you could say.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Saturday that Hamlin, who injured his left knee playing basketball in January, is scheduled to undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery Monday in Charlotte, N.C. If Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway is postponed by weather to Monday – a considerable possibility if weather forecasts are correct, the surgery would be rescheduled for Tuesday.
There is no Sprint Cup race scheduled next weekend, so Hamlin would have 12 days to rest the knee before attempting to drive at Phoenix International Raceway in the seventh race of the season April 10.
On Saturday, Hamlin said driver Casey Mears has been hired as his standby in case he needs a substitute or an in-race replacement during the recovery period. Hamlin said he hopes he won’t miss any races and that the recovery period will be over by the fall, when he hopes to be competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He is currently 19th in points.
Hamlin said he will be on crutches at least until practice for the Phoenix race begins.
“From there, we’ll just kind of see where our range of motion is and things like that,” he said. “As long as they can just pry me in that seat, they’ll have a tough time prying me out.”
Hamlin had planned to have the surgery at the end of the season, but continuing problems with the knee forced a change, he said.
“We were doing some further damage to the knee, and, to me, it’s not something that’s worth suffering forever or having a permanent limp or anything like that,” he said. “It just didn’t make much sense. The goal right now is to go ahead and get it done on Monday – as soon as I can early Monday morning.
“Right now, he (surgeon Dr. Patrick Connor) says that I’ll be able to get in the car at Phoenix. There’s no doubt that I’ll be able to get in it. It’s just tolerance of pain is what’s going to be the limiting factor.”
Depending on the speed of the recovery, Hamlin said it’s possible that he could start several races and allow Mears to replace him during the event. A driver must start a race to earn points in the driver standings for that event.
“Our number one goal is to make the Chase,” Hamlin said. “If we get there, then we’re going to be healthy when we get there, and then we’ll be able to be contenders when that happens. Right now, it’s about damage control, I guess you could say.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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