Denny Hamlin will run Wednesday night's Clash at Bowman Gray with a very special tribute on his car.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star will race with a sticker on his No. 11 car paying tribute to his late father Dennis, who tragically passed away in a house fire in December.

The sticker, positioned on the left-hand side of the car above the window, reads simply: "In loving memory. Dennis Hamlin. 1950-2025."

All of the NASCAR family – already in mourning over the death of Greg Biffle and his family in a plane crash just weeks prior – reached out to Hamlin with their sympathies and condolences, a gesture he later said he appreciated.

Hamlin preparing for 2026

Speaking at a pre-season production day with FOX last month, he said: "The NASCAR family has always been a very tight group, and I appreciate the condolences and the well-wishes and everything from everyone. It certainly does mean a lot."

When asked how he was, he replied: "I’m OK, as to be expected."

2025 clearly took an emotional toll on Hamlin, even before the tragic fire at his parents' house. Already wrapped up in an unpleasant lawsuit with NASCAR, he confirmed partway through the season that his father was terminally ill – crying in the cockpit of his car before dedicating a late-season Las Vegas win to him.

The 45-year-old admitted last month that he considered not coming back to the sport this year, but said that he'd made a promise to Joe Gibbs and the Gibbs family that he'd be their driver in the No. 11 car.

He added: "I don’t think [it will be difficult]. I think once I get in the swing of it, it'll actually be good to get back to it. I just haven't locked in for the season, necessarily, quite yet."

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