Denny Hamlin revisits his roots, shows family where the money came from to fund his racing career

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin recently took a trip to Amelia County with his fiancée, Jordan Fish. Hamlin shared the pictures of himself revisiting his family roots on his Instagram after the Phoenix heartbreak.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver began his racing career over two decades ago, competing on small local tracks in Virginia. He drove a purple and white #11 car with orange stripes. Hamlin revealed that his family and their small business sponsored his first race car. The Hamlin family owned the Chesterfield Trailer and Hitch, which his father started in 1996.

Denny Hamlin's father, Dennis, sold and repaired trailers there and supported his son at go-karting events. Following that, Hamlin moved up the ladder and landed a seat in NASCAR in 2005 with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Cup Series driver then landed his full-time seat in his sophomore season and has been with the team since then.

“Oddly enough, I’ve always driven a purple-and-white No. 11, whether it was go-karts or race cars. … For me, this is our family car. This is the very first race car I ever owned, and it’s special to me that FedEx is able to give us this canvas to throw back to my very first race car," Hamlin stated, recalling his family history (via NASCAR).

Following the Phoenix Raceway heartbreak, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver paid a visit to his family's old business. He shared images of their old repair shop along with one of his go-karting pictures.

Denny Hamlin has been with Joe Gibbs Racing since 2005 and piloted the #11 Toyota throughout the years. Hamlin has completed 721 races with the Cup Series team and secured 60 victories. Additionally, he clinched 248 top fives, 376 top tens, and 48 poles in his two-decade-long career.

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“Not meant to be”: Denny Hamlin got candid about the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin had a dominant season this year with an astonishing performance. However, Hamlin still fell short of clinching his maiden Cup Series championship title this season.

During the closing laps of the 319-lap Phoenix Raceway event, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson gained a lead over Hamlin and secured his second title. Larson finished third in the Championship 4 race, while Hamlin wrapped up the event in sixth place.

Following the results, Denny Hamlin was disappointed and told the press:

“Yeah, nothing I can do different. Prepared as good as I could coming into the weekend. My team gave me a fantastic car. Just didn’t work out. I was just praying for no caution. Had one there. What can you do? Just not meant to be."

“We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call. Just so many cars took two there. Obviously put us back. Team did a fantastic job. They prepared a championship car. Just didn’t happen. I’ll try (to win a title again). I got a couple more shots at it," he added.

Despite losing the Cup Series championship title battle, Denny Hamlin showcased good sportsmanship. He went to congratulate Kyle Larson after the race was over. Even the Hendrick Motorsports driver praised Hamlin for his actions.