Hamlin reinjured in fall searching fire wreckage

Denny Hamlin said he plans to compete in the 2026 NASCAR season despite aggravating an existing shoulder injury in a fall while he was searching the damage from a house fire that killed his father.

Hamlin told reporters Wednesday that he had still been feeling the effects of a torn labrum that he had surgery to repair in the 2023-24 offseason when he fell while going through the debris of the December fire that also critically injured his mother.

He said he won't have surgery as the season gets underway with The Clash on Wednesday and the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

"So I'm going to have to go the rest of the season the way I was before there," Hamlin told reporters. "I don't think that it ever healed properly. Just noticed some issues, really kind of right after the season. It just was nagging me a little bit. Took a little fall at my mom's house, going through all the rubble and stuff and just didn't feel right. Got it rescanned and retore it again."

Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Hamlin were found outside their Stanley, North Carolina, home suffering from catastrophic injuries from the fire that heavily damaged their home and caused the structure to collapse. Dennis Hamlin later died from his injuries at a hospital, officials said. He was 75.

Denny Hamlin told reporters Wednesday that Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, was "getting better" and had traveled to Florida to be with family.

Hamlin, 45, was the Cup runner-up last season, missing out on a first career title after finishing behind Kyle Larson in the season finale. Hamlin was also part of the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR that was ultimately settled near the end of the December trial.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.