Denny Hamlin suffers torn ACL, but will race in the Chase

Denny Hamlin (Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin (Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin (Getty Images)

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that driver Denny Hamlin tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee while playing basketball Tuesday night and will require surgery. The team said in a statement that the 34-year old Hamlin had a MRI Wednesday morning to confirm the diagnosis and was then evaluated by the medical team at OrthoCarolina.

The team statement added that Hamlin has received the medical clearance necessary to continue racing activities and is expected to race the remainder of the 2015 season and compete for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. The team said Hamlin will require surgery to repair his ACL damage following the end of the season.

Hamlin is currently eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and 11th on the Chase grid with one win the season. This isn’t the first time Hamlin has torn an ACL. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.