Denny Hamlin casts doubt over his participation in 2024 pre-season NASCAR race Busch Light Clash

Veteran NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has raised doubts over his availability for the 2024 pre-season Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum on February 4.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder following the conclusion of the 2023 NASCAR season. Eight days later, on Thursday, November 30, the 43-year-old attended the NASCAR Awards banquet with his right arm supported by a sling.

Based on his previous surgery on his left shoulder in 2019, Denny Hamlin was expecting a recovery period of three to four weeks. However, the circumstances of his current injury will probably prolong his recovery time.

“It just changes some things and, probably, the first laps on track will be whatever we do in February. Do we need to analyze 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,” he was quoted as saying by TobyChristie.com.

The 43-year-old revealed he had painful experiences in the playoffs, as his shoulder injury prevented him from reaching out to the switches on the dashboard. He explained that he suffered from a bone spur and tendon damage on his right shoulder, causing grinding on his rotator cuff.

“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. We were certainly up against the odds,” said Hamlin. “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.”

With two months remaining before the 2024 NASCAR season kicks off, Denny Hamlin said the doctors would reassess his recovery rate in the coming weeks and decide if he could race in the Busch Light Clash.

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Denny Hamlin and company pay tribute to NASCAR legends

The Coca-Cola Racing family recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in the NASCAR Cup Series. The iconic beverage partner began sponsoring top-tier drivers in the Cup Series in 1998, including the likes of Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, and Bobby Labonte.

Their current family of racers includes Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Daniel Suarez. They paid tribute to the heroes of the past in a tribute video, and Hamlin called Jeff Burton a "great asset" for all the drivers.

“Hey Jeff, it’s Denny here. Just want to say, as a Coca-Cola Racing Family member, thank you. You have certainly been an inspiration to us. We’ve carried on the torch but you’ve been a great asset to all the drivers,” the JGR driver said.

Logano and Suarez also paid tribute to Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte.