“This is the point where I kind of give the fans some s—, but not today.” Something clearly felt different about Denny Hamlin’s latest victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After beating the dominance of Hendrick Motorsports’ popular drivers and stealing the lead from his own teammate, Chase Briscoe, Hamlin won the South Point 400. And fans were expecting his usual brash comments dissing his rivals and detractors. But none of those comments came – and the reason is an emotional one.

In 2025, Denny Hamlin has been juggling several struggles, ranging from the 23XI Racing lawsuit against NASCAR to the mortality of his career as his retirement date is looming. However, one stood above the rest in the veteran’s mind – and that was his father’s ailing health.

The fuel that keeps Denny Hamlin strong

Well, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver may be a polarizing figure in NASCAR. But to his parents, Denny Hamlin and his ambitions meant the world. Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin left no stone unturned to push Hamlin into stock car racing. They sold their prized classic cars, including a 1932 Ford hot rod, ’57 Chevy, and a ’67 Rally Sport convertible. They mortgaged their home several times and even skipped meals just to keep Denny on track. The sweat of his parents’ brows led Hamlin into NASCAR. And as we all know, Hamlin turned into a legend – he fetched his 60th Cup Series win in Las Vegas, tying 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick’s record.

And presently, Dennis Hamlin is not doing well. It is no secret in the NASCAR community, as Denny has mentioned before, having taken his father on a fishing trip to relax earlier this year. And the 60-time Cup race winner mentioned his 75-year-old father’s ailing health in the post-victory presser. “Yeah, you know, just not doing well, not feeling well,” he said. And that is all the more reason why we saw Hamlin in tears well after his victory.

Denny Hamlin was glad to have both his parents watch him crack the Championship 4 for the first time since 2020. “You know, I’m just glad he was able to see 60. That was super important to me.” He continued, “He’s the one that got me into racing. He took me to a racetrack when I was five and, you know, then made all the sacrifices financially to keep me going. They sold everything they had, and you know, we almost lost our house a couple of times.”

These hardships, coupled with the ongoing lawsuit and his pursuit of an elusive championship, made the Las Vegas race extra special. Denny Hamlin said, “I don’t know if I could have scripted it better. I just don’t know. Like a win at Talladega for 60 would still be awesome, but not like this. Not in the fashion that I had to do in the last ten laps…I talked about it before the weekend started, just how important this race was, right? I thought this was the most important. I just can’t imagine there’s a win bigger for me than this one, just with the family, with the significance of it, now being back on top for most wins in the season.”

Evidently, Denny Hamlin is putting aside his brash talk to gear up for a championship now. And besides his father and mother, Hamlin also credits another person for his ambitions.

Hailing a bygone legend

Presently, only Joe Gibbs instills inspiration in his star-studded team. For the past two decades, he has been a pillar of support for Denny Hamlin. Yet there was another individual who was a stronger pillar for Hamlin – JD Gibbs, Joe Gibbs’ late son. JD served as president and later co-chairman of Joe Gibbs Racing. Before joining the organization’s senior management, Gibbs was a crew member and a part-time driver, making 13 NASCAR national series starts from 1998-2002. He passed away in 2019 after battling a degenerative neurological disease at a young age of 49. Now, Hamlin remembers JD as his ‘track dad’.

All these years after JD Gibbs’ death, Denny Hamlin paid him a solid tribute. “J.D. was my road dad, my track dad. When J.D. passed, it’s more of Joe now. I think that father figures are really, really important to make sure you do the right things. They’re the ones that kind of keep you in the lane of life.” Even Joe Gibbs reflected on the impact that JD had on Hamlin in a post-race interview at Las Vegas. “Denny put J.D. over the door with his name. Denny’s kid, his little boy now, is J.D. All of that it gets emotional, really.”

Evidently, Denny Hamlin keeps many people close to his heart, hailing them for his victory. As the playoffs progress, let’s see if Hamlin can make his father happier with a championship.