A house fire on Blacksnake Road in Gaston County left the father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin dead in December.
GASTON COUNTY, N.C. β Officials have completed an investigation into a deadly fire that killed the father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
The Gaston County Emergency Management and Fire Services released its findings on Friday, stating it could not determine a cause in the deadly Dec. 28 fire. The fire was ruled accidental.
The report states the fire began in the bedroom. The entire home was destroyed, causing over $776,000 in property damage, according to the report.
The fire happened on Blacksnake Road, northeast of Stanley, about 30 miles northwest of Charlotte. Dennis Hamlin, Denny Hamlin’s father, died from injuries suffered in the fire. Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou Hamlin, suffered catastrophic injuries but survived.
It took around two hours to put out the fire due to a lack of water in the rural area.Β
The NASCAR community mourned the loss of Dennis Hamlin after the fire, sharing memories and acknowledging the sacrifices he and his wife made to allow Denny Hamlin to pursue a racing career.
Days following the fire, Hamlin expressed gratitude for the support his familyΒ received after the tragedy.
Hamlin returned to NASCAR competition for the start of the 2026 season. He finished fifth in the exhibition Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 4 and 31st in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday after being involved in a crash.
Ahead of the season, Hamlin told reporters he would have liked a few more months before the start of the season to recover. He also aggravated a shoulder injury while searching through rubble at his parents’ destroyed home.
Hamlin has 60 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, tying him for 10th on the series’ all-time win list. After hitting the 60-win milestone at Las Vegas in October, he noted how special it felt to win for his father, who was in poor health at the time. He told the Associated Press later that month that he believed 2025 was his last opportunity to win a championship while his father was alive. Hamlin ultimately finished second in the championship standings.