Hamlin to have knee surgery

Hamlin injured the anterior cruciate ligament on his knee while playing basketball in January and was hoping to wait until the end of the season to get surgery. However he will now take advantage of the Easter break, where he has at least nine free days to recover from the medical procedure.

His team has stated that he is expected to be back behind the wheel for the following race at Phoenix International Raceway.

"When we first reviewed the situation we thought Denny couldn't do any further damage to his knee if he waited to have surgery, but as the season progressed we determined that the best plan of action was to go ahead and have it repaired," said JD Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing.

"Hopefully this will take care of the situation and he should get stronger each week."

Hamlin had surgery to his right knee last December to repair a torn meniscus, only to pick up another injury a month later.

Joe Gibbs Racing officials have not nominated any relief drivers for Hamlin, but the team is expected to have someone on standby for the Virginia-born racer at Phoenix.

Hamlin, rated as one of the pre-season favourites for the title, is currently just 19th in the standings, the lowest ranked among JGR drivers.