NASCAR Fans Are Donating To The Denny Hamlin Foundation After His Father Passes Away Following House Fire

Some good to come out of an absolutely terrible situation.

It was confirmed yesterday that Dennis Hamlin, the father of NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, passed away from injuries suffered in a fire at his North Carolina home on Sunday night.

According to WSOC, the fire was reported around 6 PM on Sunday, and fire officials say that the blaze had already consumed around 40% of the house by the time they arrived. Two people were reportedly already outside the home when fire crews arrived, but were immediately transported to the hospital.

Lucia-Riverbend Fire Department Chief David Toomey confirmed this morning that Hamlin’s parents, Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Hamlin, were the residents of the home, with a company owned by the NASCAR driver listed as the registered owner of the home.

Toomey reported that the home was a total loss, though crews were able to save some cars and memorabilia:

“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.”

According to the fire chief, efforts to extinguish the blaze were made more difficult by the lack of fire hydrants in the area:

“Well this house was about 40-45% involved when we got here. Of course where we are located there are no hydrants, so all the water had to be trucked in and there were times we would run out of water and we had to wait for more water to get here. We had to call for more, additional tankers throughout the county.”

It was reported that both occupants of the house were outside when fire crews arrived, and were immediately taken to the hospital. And yesterday, Gaston County EMS officials confirmed that Dennis Hamlin passed away in the hospital, while Denny’s mother Mary Lou has been transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston Salem, North Carolina. It had previously been reported today that her condition was considered life-threatening.

And to make the whole thing even more tragic, it appears that the fire occurred on the couple’s wedding anniversary:

I can’t even imagine.

Obviously it’s a terrible time for Denny, who NASCAR fans had already been rallying around after his heartbreak in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix. It was a championship that Hamlin had hoped to win for his dad, who he had previously revealed was suffering for a terminal illness, and even those who don’t usually cheer for Denny were hoping to see him bring one home for his dad to witness.

And now, NASCAR fans are once again rallying around Hamlin in the wake of the tragedy with his parents.

Over on the NASCAR subreddit, r/NASCAR, fans have been sharing their donations to the Denny Hamlin Foundation, many in amounts like $23.11 for his race team 23XI Racing or other symbolic amounts in honor of his dad.

Hamlin established his foundation in 2008, with a mission of raising awareness and funds for children suffering from cystic fibrosis. He’s previously shared that he was motivated to support the cause by his cousin, Kevin Jones, who suffers from cystic fibrosis and has undergone multiple lung transplants.

Since its inception, the foundation has donated millions of dollars to organizations like St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Richmond, Virginia and MUSC Children’s Health in Charleston, South Carolina.

Personally I think it’s a great idea to show love to Denny by donating to a cause close to his heart. Hopefully he knows how many people are thinking about his family and praying for him during this absolutely tragic time, and hopefully at least a little bit of good can come from such a devastating event.

If you want to donate to Denny’s foundation, you can check out the website for the Denny Hamlin Foundation here.