When Denny Hamlin was seen during a press conference only a few months ago with a shoulder sling, fans of the Joe Gibbs Racing star immediately feared the prospect of Hamlin missing out on the first few races of 2024. But fast forward to the beginning of the year, and Hamlin revealed that he’s more ready than ever before to tackle the forthcoming season.

However, will the championship contender’s hopes for this year fall short of the expected success after Hamlin announced his plans to run the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum, a track that requires needle-like precision to traverse the narrow tarmac? Well, if one were to ask the 23XI co-owner, the answer is quite the opposite.

Will Denny Hamlin fall like Icarus after making a bold L.A. Coliseum decision?

Only a few weeks after Chase Elliott underwent surgery for a minor shoulder injury, Hamlin too went under the knife to rectify a genetic bone spur that was not caused by any racing shenanigans. Turns out, the surgery had been more intrusive than Hamlin had expected, setting his recovery time to a long three months. While this means Hamlin is just about ready to kick it into high gear, will putting himself through the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum do more harm than good?

Reflecting on the state of his recovery, Hamlin told NBC Sports, “The recovery is what it is. I knew that I was in for three months (recovery) when I got out (of surgery) and there’s just no way to shortcut it. Am I going to be 100 percent (at the start of the season)? No, that’s not until probably March or April that I’ll be 100 percent. But I certainly will be better to start this year than I ended last year.”

With Hamlin himself claiming that the injury will not be easy to recover from, one would assume that any non-point races that would create unnecessary pressure would be out of the question, right? Not if we see things from Hamlin’s perspective. The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver felt that running the Clash at the Coliseum would be highly beneficial for warming up the injured arm, despite the short track’s characteristic consistent turning creating extra pressure.

Denny Hamlin stated, “I’m pointed toward running in the Clash as far as we know. We’re going to continue to push and see how far I can go. We thought that actually the Clash might be a good opportunity to go ahead and if I’m going to get fatigued, do it then. That way I’m stronger in two weeks (at Daytona).” With the game plan being to use the Clash as preparation for the big weekend at Daytona, it’s safe to say Hamlin isn’t one to back down so easily. After all, Hamlin’s fourth Daytona 500 victory is not too far out of reach.

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But at the end of the day, no man is superior to nature. With Hamlin long stating that the extent of the surgery was far beyond what he had originally anticipated, is it really the best idea to exert constant g-forces on an injured shoulder at an already narrow track? Once we take a look at what the 43-year-old had to say about the ongoing preparations for next season, the prospect of Hamlin surprising the crowd at the L.A. Coliseum finally lands on solid ground.

Hamlin is making all the right calls as we head into the 2024 season

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It’s no secret that making a full recovery is extremely vital for a driver to perform at the highest level. Even a little bit of fatigue could be the difference between perfect steering inputs and poor ones, making it a deciding factor. But it’s also important for a driver to not lose out on hand-eye coordination, meaning it will be essential for Hamlin to get back out there as quickly as possible.

Further reflecting on his recovery, Hamlin shared that he was already doing all he could to get up to speed in the simulator. He shared, “I’m doing everything that I can to get ready. I’m back in the simulator, and I drive until I get fatigued and then we stop. So we’re starting to work up my workload now to try to train and prepare for (the season).”

During his rehabilitation, there’s not a lot Hamlin can do other than racing in the simulator and working out to improve his endurance. However, this could prove to be not enough. Hamlin explained, “Although I am in the gym and I’m trying to get my strength back, until I get in a car and I’m sawing on a wheel, there are different muscles that get activated and get fatigued. So getting back in race shape will be different than my quest to get back in physical shape.”

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It’s safe to say Denny Hamlin is taking the unfortunate setback head-on, not backing out of the first few races based on fears of hampering his recovery. However, do you think this is the best decision, or should Hamlin have opted to rest for longer?