A devastating house fire in North Carolina has left NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin mourning the loss of his father while his mother remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Emergency services were called to the Hamlin family home late Sunday night (December 28) after reports of a fire at the property near Stanley, around 20 miles outside of Charlotte.
When firefighters arrived, the blaze had already taken hold of the structure, causing significant damage and forcing crews to battle intense flames in a rural area with limited water access.
Denny's father, Dennis Hamlin, was found outside the home suffering from severe injuries. Despite being rushed to hospital, the 75-year-old later died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire. His wife, Mary Lou Hamlin, was also critically injured and was transported to a nearby burn center - where she remains hospitalized in serious condition.
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While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the home partially collapsed due to the intensity of the blaze.
The tragedy has hit particularly hard given the deep role Denny's parents played in shaping his racing career. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has long spoken about the sacrifices they made to support his journey to the top of NASCAR, including financial struggles and years spent traveling to tracks while he was a child.
Speaking at a press conference in Las Vegas in October, Denny dedicated the race to his dad as his health was ailing.
“He’s the one that got me into racing - took me to a racetrack when I was five," he said.
"Then made all the sacrifices financially to keep me going. He sold everything we had, and you know, we almost lost our house a couple times, just trying to keep it all going. So, you know, I’m glad he was able to see 60 - that was super important to me.”
Denny's late dad appeared in multiple episodes of Netflix's documentary series NASCAR: Full Speed, and in one of them he speaks about the time Michael Jordan handed him a cigar for him to smoke when his son wins his first championship.
"Him and Michael Jordan are good friends, and now they're partners," Dennis told the camera. "So, he [Jordan] pulls up in his Lamborghini, and he reaches down in his side door, pulls out this cigar.
"Michael Jordan signed it for me and wrote a little letter [that] says, 'Break it when we win the championship'. I'm supposed to break that and smoke that cigar. That's what I'm going to do."
Sadly, Dennis never got to see his son win a championship - with Denny regarded by many NASCAR fans to be the greatest driver to never lift the cup.
Hamlin has not yet released a public statement.
Topics: North Carolina, US News
Joe Yates