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The mother of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin made an emotional appeal for increased firefighting funding to Gaston County officials this week after she nearly lost her life in a North Carolina fire that killed her husband in December.
Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, gave a heartbreaking account of the Dec. 28 house fire that killed her husband, Dennis Hamlin, 75, and reduced the family home to rubble.
Denny Hamlin looks on before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Concord, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, file)
“I’m sorry, I was trying not to cry,” Mary Lou Hamlin said through tears as she spoke before the Gaston County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
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“December 28 was one of the saddest days of my life. It was the last time I saw my husband of 52 years when I pulled him out of our burning house. Along with losing my husband, I lost everything in my life.”
Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin were found outside the two-story home near Stanley, suffering from what authorities at the time called catastrophic injuries. Dennis Hamlin later died from his injuries at a hospital, while his wife was transferred to a specialty hospital in Winston-Salem to treat her burns.
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“I didn’t understand at the time that the fire trucks were there, but the water wasn’t,” Mary Lou Hamlin continued Tuesday.
“There was no water to put out my house. I am pleading for funds to be included in this year’s budget – emergency response training, additional equipment, personnel, as you just heard, are just a few items to help strengthen fire protection in our region for which funds are desperately needed.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Progressive Toyota, exits his car after the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025, in Avondale, Arizona. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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Denny Hamlin’s sister, Lisa Chapman, also appeared before the board, recalling her shock after arriving at the scene.
“There’s nothing worse than arriving at a house on fire and seeing everyone standing in the road,” she said through tears. “Don’t throw water on the fire.”
