Next to losing a child or spouse to death, losing a parent is one of the most difficult things that anyone must endure and grieve.

Kids owe their parents their lives and so much more. Those same parents helped form their children’s life, character, personality, and taught them right from wrong, who gave their love unconditionally, and also put their offspring above their own needs so that their progeny could have a better life than their own.

Parents give of themselves so that their children can be successful in life, work, education, and eventually raise their own families.

Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin, the 75-year-old father and 69-year-old mother of NASCAR star Denny Hamlin, were the epitome of what good parents should be. People of modest means, they gave of themselves so that Denny and his two sisters would have good lives once they reached adulthood.

For Dennis and Mary Lou, their children were their no. 1 priority

The biggest thing that the elder Hamlins had when it came to their kids was their faith and belief in them. Raising their kids in Chesterfield County, Virginia, Dennis and Mary Lou took out several second mortgages to help finance Denny’s racing career. They didn’t have to, but they believed in their only son and the immense talent he showed behind the wheel starting at a very early age.

Doing so was as if Dennis and Mary Lou bought the first few shares of Apple stock when it first came out on Dec. 12, 1980. Much like Apple stock, Denny’s stock as a driver went through the roof, with three Daytona 500 wins, 60 career NASCAR Cup wins, and so much more.

Their return on investment in their son paid incredible dividends as he paid them back for their faith and belief in him.

That’s why what happened Sunday night at Dennis and Mary Lou’s home west of Charlotte – which Denny built for them – is so unbelievable to fathom. Just 10 days after the unspeakable tragedy that wiped out the family of NASCAR great Greg Biffle in a plane crash, Dennis Hamlin was killed in a roaring fire at his and Mary Lou’s house, while his wife remains in critical condition, fighting for her life from what investigators call “catastrophic injuries.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Could Hamlin’s Phoenix threat come true now after parents’ tragedy?

It was only eight weeks ago that Denny barely missed out on winning what would have been his first NASCAR Cup championship. After such a heartbreaking finish in a race he dominated, no one could blame a disconsolate Denny for what he said in a post-race media session: “I never want to race again.”

The defeat was so jarring, as if a mean and cruel parent mockingly teased a toddler with a rattle, only to pull it away at the last minute, leaving the child to cry in sadness and frustration.

While he was bound and determined to win that elusive championship, compounding Hamlin’s eventual coming up short during the race was while he clicked off the 300-plus laps in the season finale and championship-deciding event at Phoenix Raceway, his mind kept going back to concern for his father, who was quite ill at the time, so much so that Dennis’s doctors would not allow him to fly to watch his son in-person.

“I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it (Denny winning the Cup championship),” a somber younger Hamlin said after coming up short to eventual champ Kyle Larson. “I don’t want him going and never getting to see the moment.”

As it turns out, Denny’s words were both prophetic and a potential harbinger of what was to come. Dennis was in such bad health that his son wasn’t even sure if his father would make it to Christmas.

And while Dennis did have one last Christmas with his wife, kids, and grandkids just three days earlier, no one could have predicted the horrific end to the life of the patriarch of the Hamlin family.

Yes, Denny was ultimately proven right in his prediction that his father would never see his son win a Cup title.

What’s the future look like for Hamlin now?

But this is not a soliloquy about racing. In fact, racing is the last thing that should be thought of at a tragic time like this.

Rather, what should be on people’s minds, and what Dennis should most be remembered for, is a father’s love for his son, essentially being willing to do anything and everything – even if it meant going into great debt to help his son fulfill all of his racing dreams.

Denny never forgot all the sacrifices his mother and father made to further his career. He stated countless times in interviews over the years just how much he owed his parents and how thankful he was for their belief in him, for if it had not been for them, NASCAR would likely never know who Denny Hamlin was.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dennis and Mary Lou once at Denny’s home track, Richmond Raceway, about 15 years ago. Even though we only spoke for maybe 10 minutes, it was very clear how proud they were of their son and how much they loved him and the man and athlete he had become.

Dennis, in particular, told some great stories about his son’s development as a racer in his younger days, including throwing in a few good one-liners that may have been one of the few times I’ve ever seen Denny blush in embarrassment.

Dennis and Mary Lou raised a fine young man who, even if you’re not a fan of his as a race car driver, you can’t help but admire the tenacity, competitive drive, and work ethic Denny has shown for nearly 30 years and which was instilled into him by his beloved father.

While now is the time to mourn Dennis and pray for the recovery of Mary Lou, it’s also a time to reflect upon all the things Denny has gone through, particularly the last year, knowing that his father may not see another Christmas or a new year.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised – and I don’t think anyone would blame him – if in the coming days or weeks leading up to the season-opening Daytona 500, that Denny makes good on his post-Phoenix threat of never racing again, deciding to abruptly retire as a race car driver, much like his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards did after the 2016 season. One day Edwards was on the team, the next day he was gone, having gone back home to his native Missouri.

Denny doesn’t need to race another lap in his life. He has wealth beyond imagination, is a guaranteed first-ballot selection for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, will remain in NASCAR as team co-owner of 23XI Racing along with Michael Jordan, and could maintain his popular weekly Actions Detrimental podcast as well as potentially return to his previous side gig as a NASCAR analyst and broadcaster.

And perhaps most importantly of all, now that his No. 1 fan has passed away, Denny has three young children, a fiancée, and a mother who need him much more than Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR, or Hamlin’s fans need him, just like Denny needed Dennis his whole life.