Dennis Hamlin, the father of NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, died and his mother, Mary Lou, was injured in a fire at their home Sunday night.
Firefighters in Stanley, North Carolina, were called to the scene at 6:19 p.m. ET. Dennis and Mary Lou were outside the residence when firefighters arrived, and they were taken to the hospital, according to multiple reports. Since there were no fire hydrants in the area where the Hamlin family lived, many fire departments were involved in putting out the blaze.
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Gaston County EMS confirmed Monday night that Dennis Hamlin died from injuries sustained in the fire and that Mary Lou is receiving active treatment at a hospital in Winston-Salem.
The house is owned by a real estate company managed by Denny Hamlin.
In the fall of 2025, Dennis Hamlin’s health was failing. Denny Hamlin was emotional after his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a championship opportunity and reflected on the sacrifices his family made to allow him to pursue a racing career.
“Just thanking him for sacrificing his life and my mom’s life to chase my dream,” Hamlin said after the race when asked what he wanted to talk to his father after the win. “My parents had no money. My parents had very normal jobs, but they found a way. I would never advise anyone to go down this road. Every credit card that came in the mail, well, we all used it. Asking for help. Second and third mortgages on the house. All that stuff. The arguments I had to listen to. I was in my room, and my mom and dad were doing it. One guy said ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and the other guy said ‘Just one more week, please.”
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Before the championship game in Phoenix, Hamlin said he knew this was his father’s last chance to see him win a championship.
“I know for a fact this is my dad’s last chance to see it,” Hamlin told The Associated Press in October. “I don’t want him to leave and never see this moment.”
Hamlin, 45, controlled the race in Phoenix and was on his way to victory. However, championship contender William Byron’s tire failure prompted the final caution, with Hamlin exiting the pits behind eventual Cup winner Kyle Larson due to the two teams’ differing pit strategies. Hamlin was unable to pass Larson in the final two laps of the race, and Larson earned his second Cup Series win.
Weeks after the title race, Hamlin scored a major victory in federal court in North Carolina, settling an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR with 23XI Racing, a team he co-owns with Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports. As a result of the settlement, NASCAR granted permanent franchises to all Cup teams. The lack of a permanent concession was the main reason for the lawsuit.