Denny Hamlin’s Status Uncertain for Feb. 4 Clash: What Happens Next?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Denny Hamlin remains uncertain about his participation in the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 4 due to his recent right shoulder surgery on Nov. 22.

Addressing the media at the NASCAR Awards in Music City Center on Thursday, Hamlin expressed his concerns, stating, “I’m a long, long way from where I need to be.” His right arm was visibly in a sling as he spoke.

This latest setback has cast doubt on his recovery timeline, especially as he compared it to his previous shoulder surgery in 2019. He acknowledged, “I thought I was going to have a three-, four-week recovery like I did before, but I came out knowing I had a ton of damage that needed to be fixed. It will change my offseason a little bit, going from trying to work on some tracks that I have been so-so at in the simulator. That probably is just not going to happen now.”

Hamlin further added, “It just changes some things and certainly, probably, the first laps on track will be whatever we do in February. Do we need to analyze (racing in) the Clash? Maybe when the time comes because from what I’ve heard, they don’t want me loading it for three months. Obviously, that timeline does not line up (with the Clash).”

With over two months until the exhibition race, it gives Hamlin and his doctor plenty of time to assess his readiness for the Clash. After that, his next hurdle would be Daytona 500 qualifying on Feb. 14.

Hamlin revealed that he had been suffering from a bone spur and tendon damage in his shoulder, which caused significant discomfort during the latter part of the season. He finally decided to undergo surgery after tearing two tendons while in Las Vegas during the Formula One weekend.

The shoulder injury also impacted his performance during the races, as Hamlin admitted, “It was painful. There were many times where if you asked me to flip on a switch, I can’t reach it, I can’t touch it.”

Despite the challenges, he did not want the injury to be an excuse for any shortcomings, emphasizing, “One thing is, I didn’t want to use this as any kind of excuse for not making the final or anything like that. I think that really our performance was as good as it possibly could have been on track. I did everything I could to succeed. We just didn’t get it done.”

Hamlin also reflected on the adjustments he had to make in the car due to the injury, stating, “our performances were really, really good. It’s just one of those things where I’ve always grown up being a right-hand driver, and, really, I had to switch throughout the playoffs to being just a left hand, hold the wheel with the left, driver. It was certainly different.”