Why Denny Hamlin Has Not Stopped Racing Despite Tragic Death of His Father and Title Heartbreak

Neha Dwivedi | 16/03/2026
Mar 14, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin (11) during qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Denny Hamlin went through a lot in the months building up to the 2026 season, with a long-awaited title slipping through his fingers last year in Phoenix, and then losing his dad to a tragic house fire. No one would blame him had he chosen to step aside, or at least taken the year to recover.

Instead, Hamlin came back and went straight back to work in the NASCAR Cup Series. Through five starts this season, he has stayed near the front of the field in every race except the opener at Daytona International Speedway. The run reached a high point at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Hamlin led 134 of 267 laps and won the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday.

Speaking after the win, Hamlin explained why he chose to keep racing despite the weight he carried through the off-season. “Well, I mean, ultimately I’m still a competitor, right? And, you know, everyone’s got to go through that process, the grieving process,” he began.

“And just there were a lot of different things through the offseason. It was, you know, really, really tough. And, yeah, I mean, I showed up at Bowman Gray. I ran the race.”

Hamlin admitted that the loss affected him deeply. Even after the new season started, he admitted he wasn’t fully mentally present yet. Still, he found reasons to stay the course. He understands that “Everyone has to go through stuff.”

Despite that struggle, two things pushed him to keep going. “It’s promise to Joe Gibbs and that family that I’d fulfill my obligations to them. And then the thrill of going out there and getting more wins. That to me is what drives me, and it makes me work as hard as I do at this.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also spoke of the loss as part of a road everyone must travel at some point. Yet those moments do not erase who a person is at their core. For the JGR ace, that identity has remained steady since the first time he strapped into a race car. He is still the driver who shows up to race and chase wins.

That belief is why he calls the sport his life’s work. For Hamlin, stepping aside in the face of grief was never the first thought. Climbing back into the car and going racing became his way of moving forward.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

Don’t miss these