Richmond Raceway has extended a heartfelt gesture towards Denny Hamlin’s family. The 0.75-mile track has reserved permanent seats for the Virginia native.
Hamlin has a triumphant history at his home track. The Joe Gibbs Racing ace is a five-time winner and the most recent driver to cross the stripe from pole, a feat he achieved in 2016. Notably, he finished runner-up in his first-ever race at Richmond in 2006.
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Richmond has now honoured Hamlin’s legacy with a permanent spot for his family. The 45-year-old shared an Instagram post of the allocation, featuring his mom, Mary Lou, and his three kids, Taylor James, Molly Gold, and Jameson Drew.
“Mom and Dad spent years at these seats. Commonwealth, Sec H, Row 11, Seats 10-11 ❤️,” Hamlin wrote.
Denny Hamlin’s mother cut the ribbon and accepted the plaque presented to her. The family is reeling from the devastating loss of Dennis Hamlin, who passed away from a fire that ravaged their North Carolina home.
Hamlin and his mother shared an emotional embrace in Las Vegas, where the No.11 driver won his first race since the accident. He has since won three more bouts to cement himself in the top spot.
Denny Hamlin explains why pole sitters have a tough time at Richmond
Jul 4, 2026; Joliet, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) before qualifying for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Denny Hamlin has qualified 14th for Saturday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. In his 37 starts at Richmond, Hamlin has four poles and an average start of 8.9.
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During a press conference on Friday, Hamlin explained why pole sitters find it hard to win at Richmond.
“I think the average starting position for the winner is somewhere around 6.7, something like that. So you just kind of put yourself somewhere in that range. I think a lot of the reason is that qualifying here is extremely, extremely technical,” he said via NASCAR’s official website.
“I would say it’s probably the hardest [track] to qualify to hit your marks.… I think that sometimes whoever’s got the best car doesn’t qualify on the pole because it’s just really, really difficult to put it all together, and sometimes, someone with a decent car can just hit the marks just right, and that’s when they get the pole. So, I think the technicality of the actual line that you have to run makes it to where you see comers and goers here,” he added.
Ryan Blaney captured pole on Friday after a best time of 22.225 seconds. He’s trailed by JGR drivers Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs in the first and second rows. Christopher Bell starts two rows down in eighth.
Gibbs is currently chasing Hamlin for the championship lead, as 103 points separate the JGR drivers. Last year’s Richmond winner, Austin Dillon, starts two spots behind Denny Hamlin in 16th.
Read More:
Denny Hamlin Admits He Had Zero Confidence Battling Christopher Bell at Iowa
“I Just Act Like Myself”: Ty Gibbs Gets Honest About NASCAR’s Post-Race Media Pressure
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