Daytona 500 winner reflects on NASCAR's tight-knit family amid recent tragedies in sport

The NASCAR satellite suffered 2 tragedies conscionable earlier the crook of the calendar with the shocking deaths of Greg Biffle and Dennis Hamlin, the begetter of existent operator Denny Hamlin.

Biffle, on with his woman and 2 children, was among 7 radical killed erstwhile his level crashed adjacent a North Carolina airdrome runway successful aboriginal December. Less than 2 weeks later, the elder Hamlin died successful a location occurrence successful the authorities that besides near Hamlin's parent injured.

The Daytona 500 volition beryllium tally adjacent period to footwear disconnected the 2026 NASCAR season, but it volition surely beryllium with dense hearts.

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LEBANON, TENNESSEE - MAY 31: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., operator of the #47 NOS Energy Chevrolet, waits connected the grid during signifier for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 astatine Nashville Superspeedway connected May 31, 2025 successful Lebanon, Tennessee.  (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

"Yeah, NASCAR and motorsports successful wide is, you could accidental big, but it's a tiny family," 2023 Daytona 500 victor Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital. "It's a monolithic footprint, but everybody's truly integrated, truly close, and everybody feels that nary substance what happens.

"You know, Greg and his family, ace sad, ace tragic, and past you person Denny, who, it's precise nationalist that helium was trying to triumph that title for his dad, didn't deliberation his dada was going to marque it that overmuch longer. But who knows, helium whitethorn person won the title this twelvemonth and his dada could person made it. But the tragic occurrence that took his dada and has his ma successful the hospital, like, man, it's just, it's been a crazy, devastating offseason. 

"And I deliberation we're each conscionable acceptable to get backmost connected track, to get things that benignant of let's spot if it'll calm down a small bit. Just a pugnacious offseason, for sure. But I deliberation everybody has rallied astir each other, rallied astir those affected with the families, and we prime each different up."

Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, were recovered extracurricular their two-story location adjacent Stanley suffering from what officials called catastrophic injuries. Dennis Hamlin aboriginal died from his injuries astatine a hospital, portion his woman was transferred to a specialty infirmary successful Winston-Salem for attraction of her burns.

Denny Hamlin looks connected anterior to a NASCAR Cup Series car contention astatine Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, successful Concord, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

EX-NASCAR STAR GREG BIFFLE, FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED IN NORTH CAROLINA PLANE CRASH

Just past month, Denny Hamlin spoke of his begetter and the fiscal sacrifices helium made to assistance him scope his imagination of becoming 1 of NASCAR’s marquee drivers. In an interrogation with The Associated Press, Hamlin revealed that his begetter was dying from a superior illness.

"I cognize for a information this is my past accidental for my dada to spot it. I don’t privation him going and ne'er getting to spot the moment," Hamlin said of his begetter seeing him triumph a championship, a extremity helium aboriginal fell abbreviated of aft this season's last contention successful Arizona. 

According to the AP, Dennis Hamlin took retired aggregate mortgages connected his Virginia home, maxed retired each recognition card, and astir near himself successful fiscal ruin to springiness his lad a accidental astatine becoming a NASCAR driver. His sacrifice paid off, arsenic Hamlin built a legendary vocation that featured 60 wins, including 3 Daytona 500s.

Biffle had 19 victories successful the NASCAR Cup Series, six of them coming successful 2005 erstwhile helium finished 2nd successful the Cup standings. He won 3 consecutive Ford 400s from 2004 to 2006 astatine Homestead. He besides earned 20 wins successful the Xfinity Series, capturing the 2002 title, and 17 victories successful the Craftsman Truck Series, wherever helium won the title successful 2000.

Greg Biffle celebrates successful triumph lane aft winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car contention astatine Kansas Speedway successful Kansas City, Kansas, connected Oct. 3, 2010. (Orlin Wagner, File/AP Photo)

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After his racing days, Biffle utilized his flying skills for good. In 2024, helium helped victims of Hurricane Helene by delivering supplies and net work to those successful need. He adjacent located a stranded household portion flying aft they utilized a mirror against the sun.

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and the Associatd Press contributed to this report.

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