The late father of NASCAR star Denny Hamlin was diagnosed with a terminal illness before his tragic death in a house fire. Dennis Hamlin, 75, died after a blaze engulfed the North Carolina home he shared with his wife, Mary Lou Hamlin, on Sunday, December 28. The home was owned by Denny, 45, one of the most prolific names in motorsports. Mary Lou, 69, was taken to a local hospital with "life-threatening" injuries, before being transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she is still being treated.