Mary Lou Hamlin, mom of NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin, makes plea for more funding for Gaston Co.’s fire departments

GASTON CO., N.C. – The mother of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is asking for more funding for Gaston County’s fire departments. Mary Lou Hamlin’s emotional plea to Gaston County Commissioner’s at their Tuesday meeting comes about three months after a fire killed her husband, Dennis, at their Gaston County home. She says she lost not just her husband of more than 50 years in that fire, but all her pets, and all of her cherished belongings. She says if better infrastructure had been in place for fire crews, things might have turned out differently.

She says, “December 28th was one of the saddest days of my life. I didn’t understand at the time that the fire trucks were there, but not the water. There was no water to put out my house (fire). I am advocated for funding to be included in this year’s budget, training on emergency response, additional equipment, (and) staffing.”

Hamlin says she hopes increasing funding for the fire departments in the next budget means nobody else will have to experience what she is going through.