Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that Denny Hamlin has torn the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, but that the driver is not expected to miss any time behind the wheel of the No. 11 Toyota.
The Joe Gibbs-owned team indicated that Hamlin, 34, was injured while playing basketball Tuesday night. The team said the torn ACL diagnosis was confirmed after a Wednesday morning evaluation at OrthoCarolina, an orthopedic practice in Charlotte. Hamlin will require offseason surgery to repair the ligament damage, according to the team.
JGR said in the release that Hamlin has received medical clearance to complete the 11 races remaining on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, including those in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Hamlin secured his berth in the 16-driver postseason field by winning in March at Martinsville Speedway.
It isn't the first such injury for Hamlin, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee a month before the 2010 season, also while playing basketball. After initially opting to postpone surgery until after the season, Hamlin underwent an operation after the sixth race of the year, a victory for the JGR driver at Martinsville.
Hamlin missed four races and a portion of a fifth in 2013 after suffering a broken back in a last-lap crash at Auto Club Speedway. The following March at the California track, Hamlin missed one race when a sliver of metal lodged in his eye, altering his vision.
Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) at Richmond International Raceway represents a homecoming for Hamlin, who claims nearby Chesterfield, Va., as his hometown. He is a two-time winner at the .75-mile short track.
Hamlin is scheduled to address the media at 2:55 p.m. ET Friday at Richmond. The press conference will be streamed live at NASCAR.com/presspass.