Update, 10:42 p.m. ET: Authorities have identified Dennis Hamlin, the father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, as the person who died as a result of the Sunday night house fire in Stanley, North Carolina. Denny’s mother, Mary Lou Hamlin has been identified as the second individual in the blaze who is still hospitalized with injuries.
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Gaston County Emergency Management and Fire Services said both “suffered catastrophic injuries” from the fire; the cause of the blaze is still unknown.
“Dennis (Hamlin) later died from his injuries at the hospital,” a statement read. “Mary Lou (Hamlin) was transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, where she is actively being treated.”
Update, 2:22 p.m. ET: One of the two individuals hospitalized after the fire at a home owned by NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin’s company had died, WSOC-TV reports. The second individual is still receiving medical attention for “life-threatening injuries.” Authorities have not released the identities of either individual.
Original Story, 11:22 a.m. ET: The world NASCAR is dealing with another shocking incident just days after Greg Biffle and his family died in a plane crash.
Reports from local media and The Athletic broke late Sunday night that a home owned by Denny Hamlin’s property company, Won One Real Estate, burned down in Stanley, North Carolina. The Lucia Riverbend Fire Department’s chief, David Toomey, told WCNC that Hamlin’s parents, Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Hamlin, lived in the home.
Two people are hospitalized as a result of the blaze, with The Athletic citing ” possible smoke inhalation” as the reason from their medical treatment. Authorities have not released the identities of the two injured individuals.
Fire department responded to the fire at 6:19 p.m. local time, with officials saying the 3,724-square-foot residence was nearly half burned down by the time they arrived on the scene. Two people were seen safely outside the home upon arrival.
Toomey’s opinion is that the incident resulted in a “total loss” of the home. However, the chief noted they were able to pull “some really expensive cars’ and unspecified racing memorabilia out of the home’s garage before they were damaged.
Denny Hamlin, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series runner-up and co-owner of the 23XI Racing NASCAR team, has not publicly reacted to the fire. His parents, have also not spoken out about the incident. It is unclear if they are the injured parties in the case.
The cause of the fire is undetermined as of press time.