Denny Hamlin breaks silence after his father's death, shares health update about mother

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin dropped an update on his mother's health after the tragic passing of his father, Dennis. Hamlin's father lost his life in a house fire after sustaining severe injuries earlier this week, while his mother, Mary Lou, was critically injured.

On December 28, 2025, the two-story home at 1137 Blacksnake Road in Stanley was engulfed in flames. Later, the Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services revealed that Mary and Dennis suffered catastrophic injuries while escaping the fire.

Unfortunately, the 75-year-old Dennis tragically passed away at CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Later, Denny Hamlin's mother was transported to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem. Recently, Hamlin shared an X post addressing his mother Mary's health update and claimed she is improving.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver wrote:

"Thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences on my father’s passing. My mother continues to improve, and our family truly appreciates the outpouring of support and the respect for our privacy during this time."

The officials stated that the fire caused the structure to collapse, and the incident is still under investigation. According to local records, Won One Real Estate owns the home, and Denny Hamlin was listed as the manager.

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“We had to sell off a lot of assets”: When Denny Hamlin expressed his gratitude to his parents for their sacrifices

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin was featured in an interview with NBC Sports in 2019. During the interaction, Hamlin expressed his gratitude to his parents for supporting him and helping him chase his dream of being a NASCAR driver.

During a conversation with Kyle Petty, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver reminisced about the financial challenges he faced while shaping his dream. He gave credit to his parents for playing a significant role in funding his early career. The NASCAR veteran also highlighted that his parents sold their assets to pay for race tires and fuel.

Continuing further, Denny Hamlin expressed his gratitude to his parents for their devotion and stated:

“It's really a combination between my two parents. I would say that, you know, my dad was the tough side, and my mom was the little bit of the softer side, but they both made a lot of struggles and sacrifices to keep funding my racing. I mean, we had to sell off a lot of assets to buy race tires and race fuel and stuff like that.” “We grew up watching NASCAR racing. When I was a kid, every time they came into town to Richmond, we had season tickets. And my parents knew that I loved you; you know, we just kept fighting until the right opportunity came about,” he added.

Denny Hamlin debuted in the Cup Series in 2005 with Joe Gibbs Racing, initially driving the #11 Chevy till 2007. Later, the team switched its OEM to Toyota, and Hamlin has been with the team since then. He has clinched 60 victories, 248 top-five finishes, 376 top-ten finishes, and 48 pole positions in his career.

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Edited by Karan Yadav