NASCAR star Denny Hamlin’s father, Dennis, has died and his mother, Mary Lou, remains hospitalized following a fire at their North Carolina home on Sunday, December 28.
The Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services confirmed the news on Monday, December 29, according to WSOC-TV. Both Dennis, 75, and Mary Lou, 69, were transported to a local hospital with “catastrophic injuries.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Gaston County EMS for comment.
Dennis and Mary Lou lived at the residence, which was owned by Denny, 45, in Stanley, North Carolina, roughly 30 minutes northwest of Charlotte.
Mary Lou was transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she is actively being treated, according to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass.
Her injuries were initially described by authorities as “life-threatening.”
The fire erupted on Sunday evening, with crews receiving a call around 6:20 p.m. ET. Once on scene, the blaze took approximately two hours to extinguish.
“I was horrified last night for them,” a neighbor who wished to stay anonymous told WSOC. “I felt so bad to see it in person.”
Brett Hager, another neighbor of the Hamlins, told WSOC, “Our driveway was full of volunteer firemen and vehicles, and our yards were lined and all that. The people that came out to help did their jobs.”
Chief David Toomey of the Lucia Riverbend Fire Department told The Athletic that 40 to 45 percent of the home was already on fire when first responders arrived.
Toomey said 10 to 12 fire crews helped fight the blaze because the heavily wooded area surrounding the home does not have fire hydrants, so all of the water had to be trucked in.
The cause for the fire remains under investigation.
Dennis and Mary Lou had recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary after getting married in December 1973.
Dennis had been battling an undisclosed terminal illness prior to his untimely death.
Denny discussed his father’s health ahead of November’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
“I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it,” Denny told the Associated Press in October. “I don’t want him going and never getting to see the moment.”
After winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Denny recalled a recent in-person conversation he had with his father at his parents’ home in North Carolina.
“He was just so happy and he always tells me I’m the best, no matter if I win or not, he always says I’m the best,” Denny said. “He’s a big hype guy and I sat in his garage and talked with him, he’s got all my old memorabilia and it’s just good to reminisce. He’s a reminiscent guy and right now I am just cherishing those hours that I have with them each week.”
Denny added of his father, “He’s the one that got me into racing. Just took me to a race track when I was 5, then made all the sacrifices financially to keep me going. Sold everything they had. We almost lost our house a couple times. Just tried to keep it all going.”
