Dennis Hamlin was the father of NASCAR Series driver Denny Hamlin. The elder Hamlin lost his life on Monday, Dec. 29, in a house fire in Stanley, North Carolina. He was 75 at the time of his death.
On the other hand, Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou Hamlin, was critically injured. She was rushed to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, where she is being treated.
Dennis and his wife were outside the burning building when the Lucia-Riverbend Fire Department arrived. According to the latest news, more than 40 percent of the building had already been burned down at the time.
FOX reporter Bob Pockrass wrote on X:
“The Gaston County EMS confirmed on Monday night that Dennis had died and that Mary Lou, 69, had been transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where she is still being ‘actively treated’ and is in critical condition.”
Dennis and Mary Lou sacrificed a lot throughout their lives, taking multiple mortgages on their Virginia home and selling off their cars, just so that their son could get into NASCAR. Today, Denny Hamlin is a 60-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and one of the most sought-after stalwarts in American motorsports.
Denny is also the longest-tenured driver in the Cup Series without a championship. Ahead of the 2025 championship race, the Tampa, Florida, native said:
“I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it. I don’t want him going and never getting to see the moment.”
Next up for Denny Hamlin is the 58th running of the Daytona 500. Scheduled for Feb. 15, the 500-mile crown jewel will be televised on FOX, with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Denny Hamlin’s Former Ally Pens Heartfelt Note Following Dennis Hamlin’s Death
Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who used to be Denny Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing back in the day, went on X and paid an emotional tribute to Dennis Hamlin. He wrote:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Denny and his family. It has really been a tough couple weeks on the NASCAR community.”
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have become close friends in the past few years. There was a time last season when Hamlin appeared on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast and said:
“My respect for Kyle is pretty high. I really have a ton of respect for Kyle. I almost envision our relationship very similar to mine and Tony Stewart’s, where we actually became better friends when we were not teammates.”
Today, Busch drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 full-time for Richard Childress Racing. He finished his 2025 season 21st in points with three top fives and 10 top-10s.
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