NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin spoke publicly for the first time since his father, Denniswas died in a house fire who also seriously injured his mother, Mary Lou.
“She’s definitely getting better, physically and mentally,” Denny, 45, told reporters about his mother on Wednesday, Feb. 4. “He certainly feels like he’s in a better place.”
Mary Lou is visiting family members in Florida after the devastating fire at her North Carolina home in December 2025, Denny said Wednesday.
Denny plans to compete in the 2026 NASCAR season despite aggravating an injury while searching for the wreckage of his parents’ home.
“It kind of went down at my mom’s house, going through all the debris and stuff and it just didn’t feel right,” he explained.
Denny underwent surgery during the 2023-24 offseason to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
“I will have to go the rest of the season as I was before,” he said. “I don’t think it ever healed properly. I just noticed some issues, very soon into the season. It was just bothering me a little bit.”
Denny added, “I’ve rescanned it and brought it back up.”
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series officially begins with the Daytona 500 on February 15.
Mary Lou, 69, and Dennis, 75, were taken to a local hospital with “catastrophic injuries” after a fire at their home on December 28, 2025. Both had managed to escape and were found outside the home when emergency crews arrived.
Dennis was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Mary Lou was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The residence was located in Stanley, North Carolina, about 30 minutes northwest of Charlotte.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the house was already 40 to 45 percent engulfed in flames and took nearly two hours to extinguish.
Lucia Riverbend Fire Department Chief David Toomey he said The Athletic that between 10 and 12 fire departments worked together to fight the fire because the heavily wooded area surrounding the house had no fire hydrants, so all the water had to be hauled in.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is still under investigation.
A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board has determined that former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not at the controls when his plane crashed in December 2025, killing him and six others. Retired pilot Dennis Dutton was flying the plane and his son, Jack Dutton, was his co-pilot, according to the NTSB report, (…)
Denny broke his silence about the incident days later on social networks.
“Thank you to everyone who has offered condolences on my father’s death,” Denny, 45, wrote via X on Dec. 31, 2025. “My mom continues to get better and our family really appreciates the support and respect for our privacy during this time.”
denny’s promise Jordan fishaddressed the tragedy for the first time last month
“Just wanted to come here and say hi. I know it’s been a minute,” Fish wrote via her Instagram story on Jan. 25. “I wanted to thank everyone who reached out over the last month or so. I tried to get back to a lot of you. I know there were so many I didn’t reply to. I’ve seen everyone’s messages. I just want to say thank you.”