“Dad’s Still Saying That’s My Boy!” Denny Hamlin Emotional After Maiden Win of 2026 After Tragic Off-Season

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has shared his thoughts on the emotional 2026 NASCAR Las Vegas Cup Series race win.

“Dad’s Still Saying That’s My Boy!” Denny Hamlin Emotional After Maiden Win of 2026 After Tragic Off-Season

Denny Hamlin wins Pennzoil 400 (Via @JoeGibbsRacing/X)

The year of 2025 was nothing short of tragic for Denny Hamlin. He lost the championship to Kyle Larson after coming in as hot favorite and dominating the whole race. In the off-season he lost his father Dennis Hamlin in a housefire. This made many doubt the JGR racer’s chances in 2026, considering the veteran himself admitted he thought of retirement.

But once a champion is always a champion, as he produced a solid run, surviving a costly mistake and speeding penalty to win Las Vegas Cup race, his 61st career win in the elite division. He was emotional after the win, with the whole Hamlin family joining him during the celebrations.

I mean I knew it took a few weeks to feel like driving and over the last couple weeks I’ve definitely regained my love of it. Got refocused and these are great opportunities for us.

Denny Hamlin said on his post-race interview.

The heartfelt moment though was his mother Mary Lou Hamlin embracing him during his post-race interview, saying “that’s my boy!”. An emotional Denny Hamlin later in the interview pointed out that his late dad will be saying the same to him.

Yeah, I mean this is a family sport, My family obviously had so much sacrifice to help me get here. And now that I’ve grown in generations, Hamlin’s following me. Mom gets to see us. I know dad’s still saying that’s my boy. Hell of a day.

Denny Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin declared he worked hard to be like NASCAR legend and reveals Kevin Harvick inspiration

Furthermore, the Toyota legend talked about his names being discussed among the GOATs of the sport and highlighted how he didn’t get here on talent. The veteran asserted that he worked hard to overcome the talent deficit he had with the racing legends.

Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

My name stands out amongst… those are legends of the sport and I feel very fortunate to be on the list. But those guys were far more talented than I have ever thought about being. I just work really hard. I still, to this day, work really hard at my craft to try to continue to get better. Days like today certainly make me feel happy about where I’m at in the sport still and what I can still do.

Denny Hamlin said.

He also explained how ex-rival Kevin Harvick winning races in his late 40’s has motivated him to race into his late 40’s. Most will lose their mojo in the late 30s or early 40’s. But in the case of Denny Hamlin, he seems to get better. It won’t be unfair to say he is currently racing much better than he has ever been in his two-decade long career.

I think Kevin Harvick is kind of the one that sticks out that he was still doing it at this level at this age. I don’t know when he stopped winning. Maybe 46-ish, 47-ish. I’m not really sure. That was, like, motivation to me that, ‘Okay, it’s possible.’ Not everyone ages the same. Eyesight is the same, reaction is the same at the same age…

Denny Hamlin added.

The JGR driver is expanding his legacy with the 61st career win and putting himself in the chase for the 2026 championship, alongside a much young grid compared to him. It would be interesting to see how everything is going to playout the veteran in the coming days.

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