Catchfence

Driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Has ACL Repaired This Morning

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 31, 2010) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, had successful surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee this morning.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Patrick Connor with OrthoCarolina.

Hamlin injured the knee in January prior to the start of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. He is expected to make a full recovery and will be in Phoenix as scheduled for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on April 10. JGR will have driver Casey Mears on standby should Hamlin experience any complications while driving in the race and need to be replaced in the car.

“Denny had his surgery this morning and everything went well,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “He will start rehab immediately and now we can concentrate on getting his knee back to full strength. The doctors tell us it will improve with each passing week and that he cannot damage it by driving. We expect him to be in the car in Phoenix, but we’re fortunate to have Casey Mears standing by in case he would need to come out of the car for any reason.”

About Joe Gibbs Racing:

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, two NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program.  Its driver lineup consists of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano in the Sprint Cup Series; Hamlin, Busch, Logano, Brad Coleman, and Matt DiBenedetto in the Nationwide Series; and DiBenedetto and Darrell Wallace, Jr. in its driver development program. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, and two Nationwide Series owner’s championship along with more than 150 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

- Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release