Dennis Hamlin, the father of NASCAR superstar driver Denny Hamlin, has died from injuries sustained in a fire at his residence, Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services announced Monday afternoon. Dennis Hamlin was 75.
The fire occurred at a house located in Stanley, N.C., roughly 30 minutes northwest of Charlotte, on Sunday night. Two occupants of the house, later identified as Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin, Denny Hamlin’s parents, were outside the home when emergency services arrived, Chief David Toomey of the Lucia Riverbend Fire Department told The Athletic on Sunday night.
Dennis and Mary Lou, 69, were transported to a nearby hospital, where Mary Lou remains in critical condition, according to officials.
“Both suffered catastrophic injuries while escaping the flames,” said the Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services in a statement.
A real estate company owned by Denny Hamlin, Won One Real Estate, is listed as the owner of the 3,724-square-foot house built in 2015. Toomey said 40 to 45 percent of the house was already burning by the time fire crews arrived shortly after a call was issued at 6:19 p.m. ET, and described the damage to the house as a “total loss.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Driving for a team owned by Joe Gibbs, the Super Bowl-winning former NFL head coach, Denny Hamlin has been one of NASCAR’s top drivers for much of the past two decades. He is regarded as the best driver to have never won the sport’s premier Cup Series championship and is a three-time winner of the sport’s biggest race, the Daytona 500. He is also co-owner of 23XI Racing, a Cup team whose majority owner is NBA legend Michael Jordan.
The strong bond between Dennis and Denny Hamlin was a recurring theme throughout the 2025 season, one that nearly saw Denny win the Cup championship.
Dennis Hamlin played an instrumental part in Denny’s racing career, especially during his son’s formative years growing up in Chesterfield, Va., just outside of Richmond. Dennis owned and operated Chesterfield Trailer and Hitch and poured a considerable amount of money from that business into supporting his son’s burgeoning racing career, competing in various races at the grassroots level.
Many times, it was Dennis who pushed and pleaded with Mary Lou to keep funding Denny’s racing career, even at times when the family lacked the financial resources to continue doing so.
Dennis recently had been facing severe health issues, and his dad’s condition, along with everything Dennis did to help his son, was the source of several emotional moments for Denny Hamlin this year.
One of the most notable came following Denny’s playoff race win at Las Vegas in October, the 60th victory of his career in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series, moving him into a tie with Kevin Harvick for 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. That his father was unable to be present at the track with him due to his illness, combined with the significance of the win, moved the younger Hamlin to tears as he celebrated.
“That way is a path I would never recommend anybody taking,” Hamlin said of his working-class family’s sacrifices. “Every credit card that comes to the mail, it’s ‘OK, we’ll use it.’ Asking people to help. Second and third mortgaging the house. The arguments I had to listen to; I’m in my room, and my mom and dad are going at it. One is saying, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ The other one saying, ‘Please, just one more week.’”
Mary Lou Hamlin and Denny Hamlin celebrate his win at the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., in 2010. (Jason Smith / Getty Images)
Hamlin also teared up about his father’s prognosis while testifying in federal court as part of a lawsuit 23XI and another race team, Front Row Motorsports, brought against NASCAR, alleging monopolistic practices. (The parties agreed to a settlement before the trial concluded.)
“My dad is not in great health,” Hamlin said to the jury during his testimony, going on to detail how much his parents sacrificed to help further his racing career.
Dennis Hamlin has always been an ardent supporter of his son, and Jordan had given him a special cigar that Dennis kept inside a glass case and planned to smoke once Denny won his elusive first Cup championship. Hamlin came agonizingly close just last month in the title race in Phoenix.
In October, as he pursued that championship, Denny told The Associated Press that he would go sit with his father in his father’s garage and reminisce, knowing that his father did not have long to live.
“He was just so happy, and he always tells me I’m the best,” Hamlin told the AP of Dennis. “No matter if I win or not, he always says I’m the best.”