HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed Thursday that driver Denny Hamlin has had successful arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder.
The surgery, completed by Dr. Patrick Connor at the Charlotte Surgery Center, was to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He revealed earlier this month that he planned to have surgery to repair the injury following the conclusion of the season.
Hamlin explained when the surgery was announced that he is unsure how the injury occurred.
“I really don’t know how it happened to be honest with you, but it’s something that has been nagging (me) really for years,” said Hamlin. “I’ve had shoulder issues; it just got to the point where it was really bad and (I) got it scanned and (we) figured out what it was.
“It hadn’t really affected me in the car at all. That part has really been fine.”
He competed in the final races of the season with the injury, which was not the first time he raced injured. He finished the 2015 season with a torn ACL in his right knee, suffered during a pick-up basketball game. He had surgery to repair that injury during the ensuing offseason and returned at full strength in 2016.
Hamlin is expected to fully recover in time for the start of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.