Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Darlington Raceway, Sprint Cup

Denny Hamlin is doing wonders for the reputation and future of knee surgery for NASCAR drivers, should any of them ever need it.

Granted, the Southern 500 winner's ACL injury at his left knee isn't exactly a common one for guys who race cars for a living, but there are a few who like to cross train in other sports and their number is growing as fitness becomes more of a necessity for drivers.

That being said, I think it's safe to say we can officially stop pondering how much the surgery and its rehabilitation process is affecting Hamlin -- given the fact that he's now won more times (two) with the surgery than without (one) in 2010.

In fact, Hamlin said he considered the race itself to be one big rehab session.

"It really is pretty much like a physical therapy session in there with the cars that vibrate, you kind of have a little bit of vibration right there on the steering column, so I rest my leg against it -- it kind of acts as a stim. It feels good after races. It's during the week that I'm laying around that it gets all stiff."

-- On that same token, Hamlin's team insisted after Saturday night's race that they are somewhat surprised to be dominating in such a fashion as of late because their focus at the shop has shifted to being as strong as possible during the late-season Chase races.

That's an art that Jimmie Johnson has perfected in the last four seasons, and a goal that Jeff Gordon's team has set for 2010. All of it means one thing for race fans: we could be setting up for one dandy of a championship battle.

 

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