Getty Image AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 02: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, reacts after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 02, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin started the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season while dealing with a significant personal loss. His father, Dennis Hamlin, died from injuries suffered in a house fire on December 28, 2025, in Gaston County, North Carolina.
Emergency crews responded to the fire at about 6:19 p.m. and found the home heavily damaged. Dennis was 75. Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou,
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