Just a few days after the plane crash that killed pilot Greg Biffle, his wife, and children, NASCAR is facing another tragic loss: Denny Hamlin’s father, Dennis Hamlin, passed away at the age of 75 after succumbing to injuries and burns from a fire at his home last Sunday (28th) in the town of Stanley, North Carolina, in the United States. Dennis’s wife, Mary Lou Hamlin, Denny’s mother, remains in critical condition and was transferred to a hospital in Winston-Salem, where she continues to receive treatment.
According to the emergency services, the fire started shortly after 6:19 PM (local time). When the firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the couple already outside their four-bedroom house. They were immediately taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The authorities later confirmed that Dennis Hamlin had passed away at the hospital. The cause of the fire has not been determined due to the condition of the house, which was severely damaged.
Dennis played a pivotal role in Denny Hamlin’s career. The NASCAR driver was introduced to racing as a child, sitting on his father’s lap to watch competitions on television. “I saw his potential the first time I saw him drive a kart at 7 years old,” Dennis said in 2006. “He was not afraid of anything. He could get into anything and just fly.”
To support Denny’s racing team, Dennis mortgaged their home and sold the family’s classic cars, including a 1932 Ford and a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport convertible. The dedication paid off in Denny’s success on the tracks: today, at 45 years old, he is tied for 10th place on the list of the most victorious drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history, with 60 wins, including three Daytona 500 victories.
Denny dedicated his most recent win, in October at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, to Dennis Hamlin. “He’s the one who got me into racing,” Denny said. “He just took me to a track when I was 5 years old, and then made all the financial sacrifices to keep me going. We sold everything we had, almost lost the house a few times… He just tried to keep everything going. I’m glad he got to see 60. That was super important to me.”
