When it comes to drivers playing with pain, the recent standard unquestionably belongs to Denny Hamlin. It's still difficult to believe what he did three years ago at Phoenix International Raceway, where 10 days after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery Hamlin gritted his teeth through an entire event on a bone-rattler of a 1-mile track. The car fell out of contention with electrical problems and a relief driver was on standby, but Hamlin never got out.
