On Monday evening, the Gaston County EMS confirmed what had been feared since a Sunday afternoon fire raged through the home of NASCAR star Denny Hamlin’s parents near Stanley, North Carolina. Dennis Hamlin, the father of the 60-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winning driver, died due to injuries sustained in the fire on Sunday evening at the age of 75.
Read More: Dennis Hamlin, Father of NASCAR Star Denny Hamlin, Dies From Injuries Sustained in House Fire
Mary Lou Hamlin, the mother of the NASCAR racer, remains in a Winston-Salem burn unit, undergoing treatment for what was described as “life-threatening” injuries following her transportation to the hospital.
On Tuesday, NASCAR issued a statement offering condolences to Hamlin, his family, and paid tribute to Dennis Hamlin, who was instrumental in Denny Hamlin’s climb to the NASCAR National Series ranks.
“NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family,” the sanctioning body said in a statement. “Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in our sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”
NASCAR Statement:
“NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family. Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and…
— NASCAR Communications (@NASCAR_Comms) December 30, 2025
In addition to the sanctioning body, a plethora of drivers and personalities throughout the NASCAR industry offered their condolences to Hamlin and his family via social media as the news spread from Sunday night to Monday evening.
At 8:04 PM ET on Monday night, Dave Alpern, the president of the Joe Gibbs Racing team that Hamlin has driven for throughout his entire NASCAR Cup Series career, issued a post along with an excerpt from Galatians 6:2.
“Please continue to lift up the family of @dennyhamlin especially his dear mother @11mommalou,” Alpern posted. “‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.’ Galatians 6:2.”
Please continue to lift up the family of @dennyhamlin especially his dear mother @11mommalou ??
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
— Dave Alpern (@PERNSKI) December 30, 2025
Richard Petty, known as NASCAR’s “King”, along with the Petty family, extended their hearts and prayers to Denny Hamlin and his family on X.
Richard Petty and the Petty family extend their hearts and prayers to @dennyhamlin and the entire Hamlin family during this incredibly difficult time following the passing of his father. They are also praying for strength, healing and peace for his mom.
— Richard Petty (@therichardpetty) December 30, 2025
“Really praying for my friend DH and the whole Hamlin family,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. posted on his personal X account with a praying emoji.
Really praying for my friend DH and the whole Hamlin family. ??
— Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (@StenhouseJr) December 29, 2025
Kyle Busch, who served as a teammate to Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing from 2008 until his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing at the conclusion of the 2023 season, sent his thoughts and prayers to the Hamlin family, and highlighted that it’s been an extremely tough month for the NASCAR industry.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Denny and his family,” Busch said in a post on X. “It has really been a tough couple of weeks on the NASCAR community.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Denny and his family. It has really been a tough couple weeks on the NASCAR community.??
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) December 30, 2025
These are just a few of the many who took to social media to issue condolences to Hamlin and the Hamlin family following the passing of Dennis Hamlin.
The death of Dennis Hamlin follows the passing of Greg Biffle, a 19-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner, in an aviation crash last week in Statesville, NC. Along with Biffle, his wife, daughter Emma, son Ryder, and three others perished in the crash.
Among the other tough losses in the community during the month of December were long-time NASCAR National Series competitor Michael Annett, ARCA competitor Nick Joanides, who both passed away.
Earlier in the month, Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team was among two organizations locked in antitrust litigation against NASCAR. After nine days in Federal Court in Charlotte, NC, the two sides agreed to a settlement, which achieved better terms for chartered teams in the NASCAR Cup Series moving forward.
