Denny Hamlin reveals secret health issue left him in 'bad shape'

Fourteen months after the event, Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin has revealed a secret health issue that left him in 'bad shape' last season.

The NASCAR Cup Series great has revealed the agony he went through with an illness and subsequent injury on his most miserable day inside a race car in 2024.

The 44-year-old, 58-time Cup Series race winner was asked to detail his lowest point in a race car during a question and answer interview with The Athletic this week. In response, Hamlin brought up a painful memory which, until now, had remained a team secret.

It happened at the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway back in June 2024, and it started badly. In complete agony, to be exact.

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Hamlin reveals Iowa agony

Hamlin said: “Pain-wise, I’ve had some bad ones. Arguably the worst was Iowa last year. No one really knew about it, but I came down with a fever, which weakened my body, and then I threw out my back.

“I remember during pit stops telling the jackman, ‘You can’t just drop the jack - you need to squeeze it down’. I was in bad, bad shape.”

Asked whether he mentioned this at the time, Denny answered: “No, just blew that over. I went two laps down to start that race because I felt so horrible.”

It was a start Hamlin could not recover from as he ended the 350-lap race (348 for him) down in 24th place.

Hamlin: People are wrong about me

The Joe Gibbs Racing superstar was also asked what people get wrong about him the most - and the answer was an interesting one.

“I mean, I don’t think I’m an a**hole," Hamlin quipped.

“It’s more than likely people who have never met me, or saw me walking somewhere and I didn’t have time to stop. I always try to when I can.

"Or maybe the s*** talking I do on the track makes them think that’s just who I am.”

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