Who are Denny Hamlin’s parents? Two hospitalised after fire at house owned by NASCAR star

A house owned by Denny Hamlin’s company in Gaston County, North Carolina, was completely destroyed in a fire. According to WCNC, the NASCAR driver’s parents resided in the home, which was located near Stanley, on Blacksnake Road.

Denny Hamlin’s parents are Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin. The Hamlins supported their son’s early interest in racing. According to The New York Times, both Mary Lou and Dennis sold their own cars, a Ford and a Camaro, to support Denny’s career.

Reports suggest that two people were injured in the fire at Denny’s parents’ home, as per WCNC. One of the injured people was stuck inside the home for some time, noted the news outlet.

Both people were, however, outside the residence when emergency services reported to the scene, according to The New York Times. The injured were transported to a hospital for suspected smoke inhalation. Whether the injured people were Denny’s parents is not immediately clear.

It's public information but I won't show the address. Looks to be Denny Hamlin's parents home. Prayers up everyone made it out. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/XHMyPtMAef

— Allen (@SlapshotRacing) December 29, 2025

Lucia Riverbend Fire Department’s Chief, David Toomey told The New York Times that racing related memorabilia stored in the home’s garage was rescued from destruction. He told the publication,

“They had some really expensive cars in the garage and some racing memorabilia and stuff, so all that was saved. We were able to save all that and get it out so it wasn’t damaged.”

As per The New York Times, the home was built in 2014, after the land it stands on was bought by Denny’s Won One Real Estate company.

Denny Hamlin has frequently spoken about the sacrifices his parents made to secure his racing career

Early on in his career, Denny Hamlin faced multiple financial challenges. As per a 2006 report by The New York Times, Denny was ready to give up on his dreams in 2002, when his family exhausted its funds to be able to support his career. Ready to sell his car at the critical juncture, Denny suddenly received an offer of sponsorship from Jim Dean, who owned a team, notes the publication.

Denny’s parents, in addition to taking out two second mortgages on their house during the early phase of Denny’s career, have remained with him through thick and thin. Familiar with his attitude toward racing, his mother, Mary Lou, told The New York Times in 2006,

“He’s a real bad loser,. He’s determined, and he’s not happy with second. He’s out to win.”

Denny has always been mindful of his parents’ impact on his racing career. After securing his 60th win at Las Vegas this year, he exited his car and recognised their support. In his post race interview put up on NASCAR’s YouTube channel, he said in between tears,

“Just obviously want to say hi to my dad, family back at home.”

In another video put up on social media by NASCAR and Fox, Denny spoke about his debt to his father and added,

“He’s the one that got me into racing and just took me to a racetrack when I was five and you know, then made all the sacrifices financially to keep me going, sold everything they had and you know, we almost lost our house a couple of time and just tried to keep it all going.”

Denny seems to now recognize that his father, Dennis, who is 75 years old and ill, is close to death. According to Associated Press, Denny, who has never NASCAR’s championship, wants to win the finale so that his dad can see him as a champion before he passes.