Denny Hamlin on his pit box
Photo – Mike DiNovo, USA TODAY Sports

Denny Hamlin will race this weekend. How Much? That is still  unknown, but Hamlin has been medically cleared to get back in the race car for this weekend. This is the first time Denny Hamlin will get in a race car since his wreck at Auto Club Speedway over four weeks ago.

Denny Hamlin tweeted earlier this week that he would be getting back in the race car, only to have NASCAR say they do not have medical clearance from doctors. Well, last night NASCAR confirmed that Denny Hamlin has been medically cleared by doctors to race this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Kerry Tharp, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Communications/Competition, tweeted, “Looking forward to seeing @dennyhamlin back in the car this weekend at @TalladegaSuperS #NASCAR“

As for Joe Gibbs Racing‘s plan for Denny Hamlin in the No. 11, Brian Vickers will be on standby for Hamlin all weekend. As of now, Denny Hamlin will at least run a few laps in practice and will qualify the car, weather permitting.

On Sunday, Denny Hamlin will likely start the race and drop back to stay out of harm’s way, in an effort not to re-injure his back. During the first caution, Brian Vickers will jump in the No. 11 car while Denny Hamlin watches from the pit box the rest of the day.

NASCAR is watching Hamlin during practice and qualifying before he races Sunday. The first time the Sprint Cup cars hit the track Friday is at 2pm ET for practice.