NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has shared an update on his mother, Mary Lou Hamlin, more than five weeks after she was critically injured in a house fire that claimed the life of his father, Dennis Hamlin.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Cook Out Clash preseason exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the 45-year-old said his mother is continuing to recover. “She’s getting better, she’s actually down in Florida with some family this week, so she’s definitely getting better,” Hamlin said.
The fire occurred on Sunday, December 28, at the couple’s remote 3,700-square-foot home in Gaston County, North Carolina, and began shortly after 6 p.m. local time. Dennis Hamlin was transported to a hospital, where he later died from injuries sustained in the blaze. Mary Lou Hamlin was taken to a hospital in Winston-Salem with critical injuries.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences on my father’s passing. My mother continues to improve, and our family truly appreciates the outpouring of support and the respect for our privacy during this time.
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) December 31, 2025
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In the days following the tragedy, Hamlin shared a public message on X addressing both his father’s passing and his mother’s condition.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences on my father’s passing,” Hamlin wrote. “My mother continues to improve, and our family truly appreciates the outpouring of support and the respect for our privacy during this time.”
Hamlin is entering the new NASCAR season while continuing to support his family as his mother recovers.
Denny Hamlin Dealing With Re-Torn Shoulder Injury Ahead Of New Season
While visiting the site of the fire, Denny Hamlin suffered a setback to his previously surgically repaired right shoulder after falling while searching through debris at his parents’ home.
“I don’t think that it ever healed properly,” Hamlin said on Wednesday. “Just noticed some issues, really kind of right after the season. It just was nagging me a little bit. Took a little fall at my mom’s house, going through all the rubble and stuff, and just didn’t feel right. Got it re-scanned and re-tore it again.”
Because of the short window before the NASCAR season begins, Hamlin said surgery will not be possible until November.
“If you can look into a crystal ball, I would think as the year goes on, it just kind of depends on certainly making sure I’m doing the things out of the car, working, keeping the range good, keeping the strength good to kind of get to that November date where I can work on it and get it fixed again,” Hamlin said.
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He explained that the injury will require lifestyle adjustments during the season. “Limiting, honestly, the things I love to do. I’m going to have to just … that’s not going to be a priority during the season, unfortunately.”
The NASCAR ace added, “So I’m just going to miss out on a lot of the fun things, but I can’t do some things I like to do, simply because that aggravates it, and it certainly causes the tear to get worse.”
Hamlin plans to compete through the injury during the season and undergo surgery during the offseason while continuing his recovery and rehabilitation program.
