NASCAR has issued an official statement in response to the tragic news that Dennis Hamlin, the father of Cup Series great Denny Hamlin, has died at the age of 75.
Dennis and his wife Mary Lou both sustained 'catastrophic injuries' in a fire at their home in North Carolina on Sunday night, with officials sadly confirming that the former had succumbed to his injuries in a statement on Monday night.
"Firefighters were dispatched at 6:19 p.m. and arrived at 1137 Blacksnake Road at 6:27 p.m. to find a two-story home mostly engulfed, with flames showing through the entire attic," a statement from Gaston County Emergency Management and Fire Services read.
"Outside the home were the residents, Dennis Hamlin, 75, and Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, who both suffered catastrophic injuries while escaping the flames. Gaston County Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) transported Dennis and Mary Lou to CaroMont Regional Medical Center.
"Dennis later died from his injuries at the hospital."
The statement also confirmed that Denny Hamlin's mother, Mary Lou, has been transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, where she is actively being treated for her injuries.
NASCAR expresses condolences to Hamlin family
It is another tragic event for the NASCAR community to deal with, coming just days after Greg Biffle and his family were lost in a plane crash, also in North Carolina.
Now, NASCAR has once again spoken out, offering its condolences to the Hamlin family and offering prayers to his mother.
“NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family.
"Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport.
"We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”
