“(Jameson has) been great. He’s slept through the night, the last three nights in a row,” said one delighted father, Denny Hamlin. After weeks of anticipation, Denny Hamlin and partner Jordan Fish finally welcomed their newborn son, Jameson Drew Hamlin, into the world. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver returned to the NASCAR circuit at Pocono Raceway with a full heart, having missed the Mexico City race to be present for the delivery.

And the three-time Daytona winner has claimed that fatherhood is off to a peaceful start. Maybe that is what helped him get his pole in Pocono. Not only have the fans been waiting in anticipation for the delivery of the boy, but they’re also curious to know how they came by the name. After joking about using a dating app, Denny Hamlin finally reveals the reasoning behind his son’s name.

Denny Hamlin reveals the reason behind his son’s name

For Hamlin, the name James Drew wasn’t just a choice; it was a declaration of legacy. Behind the seemingly modern name is a deep and personal tribute to the people who shaped both his racing journey and personal life. NASCAR radio veteran Claire B. Lang asked the JGR driver about the significance of the name ahead of the race in Pocono. She took to X, posting, “Denny Hamlin to media  @PoconoRaceway – on missing Mexico and his baby son’s birth:”

“I’m James, that’s Jame’s son, Jameson. And Drew, we wanted to keep J.D. as part of it. J. D. Gibbs was a big part of getting here to the Cup Series; James Dean was the car owner. I drove for a late models that got me the equipment to win all those races to get seen by J. D. Gibbs. I’m J.D., so we are just keeping it going.” And now it all makes sense, for those who forget, Denny Hamlin’s full name is James Dennis Alan Hamlin.

It was personal for Hamlin, as naming his son is an honor to the late J. D. Gibbs, son of legendary NFL coach and Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs. It was J.D. who gave Hamlin his first real shot in the Cup Series, believing in his talent when he was still racing late models. JD discovered JGR’s future star during a late-model test in the early 2000s. And the rest is history. After JD passed away, Hamlin had a heartfelt tribute to him for winning the Daytona 500 in 2019. That moment felt greater than the Daytona 500 triumph; it was an emotionally touching moment for the entire JGR organization.

That initial leap of faith turned into a storied career, and Denny Hamlin found it fit to keep the second half of his son’s name after the beloved JD. When asked about missing the Mexico City race, Hamlin was quite straightforward. Denny Hamlin initially planned to race in Mexico City, but everything changed when labor began. He admitted that he was set to travel as scheduled until Thursday, with the reality of the situation quickly setting in. The delivery turned out to be more intense and time-consuming than expected.

He said, “Truthfully, before Thursday, I was going to go to the weekend as scheduled. The labor was tremendous, and we knew would have to be there longer than normal, and I just said there’s no way I could leave in the next 36 hours, which is what I needed to go there and do the job correctly. If we were racing at Darlington, I would have been there on race day. It was just bad timing from a logistical standpoint. You have twelve hours of logistics just to get to Mexico, and it didn’t make any sense to me, knowing that those few days after can be a fragile time, and I can’t just hop back in the plane and easily come home once I’m there.”

Trending

1

Kyle Larson Publicly Refutes His GOAT Status After Weeks of Turmoil

2

‘RIP’- NASCAR Radio Legend’s Sudden Demise Sends Shockwaves Across Racing Community

3

NASCAR Faces Shocking Fallout From Fans as Everyone Is Fuming Over Mexico Debacle

4

Joey Logano Sends Blunt Message to Entire Cup Garage Ahead of $1M Showdown

5

NASCAR Lawsuit: Charter Crisis Escalates as Michael Jordan’s Attorney Sends Strong “Reliefs” Message

The mentors who made Hamlin

Long before Denny Hamlin became a household name in NASCAR, he was just a determined teenager from Florida racing late models out of Chesterfield, Virginia. His big break came around 2002, when Jim Dean, a regional car owner, took a chance on him. The results were immediate and spectacular. After the first race together, Hamlin notched a pole, led every lap, and went on to win 25 of 36 races in 2003, a record that turned heads across NASCAR.

On the heels of that success, connections were made. In late 2003, Hamlin participated in a Joe Gibbs Racing diversity test at Hickory Motor Speedway, where Curtis Markham and JD Gibbs noticed him. Impressed by his talent, in 2004, JD Gibbs had a development deal with Hamlin, and Hamlin found himself driving trucks, moving quickly into the Busch (Xfinity) Series, and making a Cup debut in 2005. Just one year later, Hamlin made his Cup Series debut in the No. 11 car, the same number J.D. had worn as a college quarterback at William and Mary.

But it was the 2019 Daytona 500 that brought all those threats together. Just five weeks after JD Gibbs tragically passed away from a degenerative neurological condition at age 49, Hamlin won NASCAR’s biggest race for the second time in his career. This win wasn’t just personal; it was poetic. Hamlin, driving JD’s No. 11, led Joe Gibbs Racing to a 1-2-3 finish, with tears flowing in victory lane. The team owner described it as “The most emotional and biggest win I’ve ever had in my life,” adding it was a tribute to JD’s legacy.

By naming his son James Drew in 2025, he pays homage to the two pivotal figures from his early career: Jim Dean, the man who equipped him to win, and JD Gibbs, the mentor who believed in him and launched his career. Their influence lives on in the name and Hamlin’s journey as he stares into his next life chapter as a father.