If you know Danny Hamlin, you know just how much this championship run means to him right now. In recent weeks, he’s opened up about his father’s declining health. After his 60th victory in Las Vegas, the veteran racer made his feelings clear, saying he “just want(s) him (Dennis) to hang on long enough to see it all the way through.” And now, with that moment drawing near, the urgency in his voice says it all.

Dennis Hamlin has been the backbone of Denny’s NASCAR journey. The 75-year-old poured everything into his son’s dream, even mortgaging their home multiple times to keep his racing hopes alive. Today, as the time begins to slip away, Denny Hamlin’s pursuit of the long-awaited championship has become deeply personal.

Denny Hamlin provides updates on Dennis Hamlin’s health

Denny Hamlin has revealed that his father, Dennis Hamlin, has been battling a serious, undisclosed illness for several months now. And as Hamlin entered the Phoenix final at 44 years old, he carried not only the weight of his legacy but also the heartbreak of knowing his father, now 75, is too ill to attend.

Speaking to the Associated Press ahead of the finale, Hamlin said, “I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it. I don’t want him going and never getting to see the moment.” 

The first time Denny mentioned his father’s health publicly was in September, following his win at the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway. In his victory interview, Hamlin became emotional, saying, “And so happy to get this victory and my dad’s not feeling well at home. So just shoutout to him, the whole family’s here, so fantastic day, and it couldn’t be better. … Just step up.”

Winning in front of his father means a lot to the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran because Dennis Hamlin’s sacrifices were instrumental in shaping his son’s racing career. He maxed out his credit cards and came close to bankruptcy just to keep Denny’s NASCAR dreams alive. All those emotions came running through at Las Vegas, where he claimed victory and tied with Kevin Harvick for 10th on NASCAR’s all-time list.

Recalling what win number 60 meant, he said, “He was just so happy, and he always tells me I’m the best, no matter if I win or not, he always says I’m the best. He’s a big hype guy, and I sat in his garage and talked with him, he’s got all my old memorabilia, and it’s just good to reminisce. He’s a reminiscent guy, and right now I am just cherishing those hours that I have with them each week.”

Now, more than two decades later, Denny Hamlin stands as a 60-time Cup Series winner and three-time Daytona 500 champion, one of the sport’s greatest drivers still chasing his first title in his 5th Championship 4 run. In 2024, Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside Denny Hamlin, gifted Dennis Hamlin a cigar signed by him, sealed inside a glass display case.

That cigar was meant to be smoked when Denny Hamlin won his 1st Cup title. And Dennis Hamlin was all for it. The 75-year-old said in Netflix’s Full Speed, “ I’m supposed to break that and smoke that cigar. That’s what I’m going to do. I’d give everything I have, every car in this garage, the house, whatever, if I could make that happen.”

However, that glass remains unbroken yet again, as things didn’t go as planned for the JGR veteran.

Hamlin makes a somber confession to his father after losing the championship

On Sunday, Hamlin entered the Cup Series with another shot to end his long-standing heartbreak and to shed the label of the winningest driver without a championship. Yet once again, fate turned cruel. Despite leading 208 laps, Hamlin watched Kyle Larson steal the title after a dramatic late restart. When asked what he could tell his terminally ill father after the race, Hamlin’s response was quiet and raw: “ I did the best I could.”

For much of the night, it looked like he had finally done enough. The 44-year-old had built a three-second lead with only two or three laps to go when disaster struck: a caution flag. William Byron, fellow title contender, hit the Turn 4 wall after a tire failure, triggering pit stops across the field.

Hamlin’s team opted for four fresh tires on his No. 11 JGR Toyota, while Larson gambled on just two. That quickly vaulted Larson to 5th and dropped Hamlin to 10th for the two-lap overtime shootout, a difference that proved decisive.

Larson didn’t win the race itself; 2023 champion Ryan Blaney took that victory, but he finished just high enough to claim his second Cup title. Hamlin, despite dominating the 319-lap finale, was left empty-handed once more. His voice heavy with defeat, Hamlin admitted, “In this moment, I never want to raise a car ever again. My fun meter is pegged.” It was a gut punch for the veteran, a future Hall of Famer still haunted by the title that keeps slipping away and uncertainty growing about whether his father would make it to see his son try again.