Folks, do you remember the incredible story of Joe Denette? He was just a regular NASCAR fan until he struck gold with a Mega Millions ticket back in 2009. After being fired from his job, Denette was struggling to feed his family. However, his fortune turned when he became the joint winner of a lucky draw. That draw brought him a whopping $47.8 million, and instead of just enjoying his newfound wealth, he took a bold step.
Denette went from being a spectator to owning his very own NASCAR Truck Series team, Joe Denette Motorsports. Though the team didn’t last long, his story remains legendary in the racing world. But guess what? It looks like NASCAR has another jackpot winner—this time, it’s not a fan-turned-team owner. It’s a driver-turned-team owner, Denny Hamlin.
Unlike Denette, Hamlin didn’t need a lottery ticket to make a bank, but he sure found a way to hit it big. Just before suiting up for the Pennzoil 400, the veteran driver walked into a Vegas casino, played a Buffalo slot machine, and left a whole lot richer. The number? A jaw-dropping $126,000!
Fortune smiled on Denny Hamlin, Again!
NASCAR has arrived in Las Vegas with a lot more than just high-stakes racing. The prize money for the 2025 Pennzoil 400 has increased by nearly 20%, pushing the total purse to a whopping $11,055,250. But before Denny Hamlin could get his share of NASCAR’s prize money, he had already cashed in big. Just a day before Qualifying, the 23XI Racing owner decided to test his luck at a Vegas casino.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver casually played a Buffalo slot machine and suddenly hit a six-figure jackpot. The sight of that massive win left him in total disbelief, and he couldn’t help but let some colorful words fly. After all, it’s not every day you randomly walk away with $126,000 before even starting your job for the weekend. However, he might receive a little less after taxes, but that’s also a win for him.
However, this isn’t the first time Denny Hamlin has tested his luck with gambling. The last time Hamlin visited Sin City, he walked away with a whopping $300,000 in a game of Black Jack. Yeah, you heard it right, the JGR driver might not have lady luck by his side when it comes to near misses in his championship quest, but he sure knows his way around Vegas Casinos. Well, he did go All-In with his bets on the casino table, but it’s time he did the same on the racetrack.
The past week has been very remarkable for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. First, he went on to finish second in a hard-fought race at Phoenix Raceway on the weekend. Then he won a lottery. But more importantly, he signed a new primary sponsor. While some might wonder why it’s being celebrated, you should know that Hamlin almost had a blank car for the Daytona 500 this year.
The situation arose after his longtime sponsor, FedEx, decided to part ways at the end of the 2024 season. This left Hamlin and JGR scrambling for financial backing. However, initially, National Debt Relief came in to sponsor him. However, ahead of the Pennzoil 400, Hamlin and JGR have inked a whopping $10 million sponsorship deal with AMPM. The West Coast convenience store chain will sponsor races in Sonoma and Las Vegas later in the year.
This turnaround is huge for Hamlin, especially since he openly admitted how difficult sponsorships have become. “Sponsorship is hard to come by… It’s not like it used to be,” Hamlin had admitted before the season opener at Daytona. Now, with a mix of luck and growing financial support, Hamlin’s fortunes are on the rise in Las Vegas. Yet, for Hamlin, the best news of 2025 comes from 2,407.4 miles away from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Authorities begin the revival of Hamlin’s childhood track!
As if Denny Hamlin’s Vegas fortune wasn’t enough, he also received incredible news about a place close to his heart. Almost 2,407.4 miles away from the ‘Sin City’ in Virginia, authorities have decided to revive Hamlin’s childhood racing track. Southside Speedway, the short track where Hamlin honed his racing skills, is set for a massive $2 million renovation. Notably, the track was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, leaving a major gap in grassroots racing.
But after years of uncertainty, Chesterfield County officials and Competitive Racing Investments have come together to bring the track back to life. Southside Speedway has a long history of producing NASCAR talent. It earned the nickname “The Toughest Short Track in the South” and was a proving ground for young drivers, including Bobby Allison and Cal Johnson. But Hamlin, who grew up racing there, has been vocal about wanting to see the track return.
In July 2024, he expressed his interest in running the track but made it clear that he wouldn’t be the one funding the project. “I’d love to bring back Southside. I know you keep asking me. But the state or the city needs to fund it. I’m not going to fund it myself. I will run it, but I won’t fund it. So get with your local lawmaker on that,” he had said on his Action Detrimental podcast. Now, with financial backing in place, the track’s revival is officially underway.
Notably, the goal is to have competitive racing return by 2026 or 2027. This is a huge win for grassroots racing, and for Hamlin, it’s a full-circle moment. “We’re going to bring stock car racing back to Southside Speedway like never before,” said Jeff Oakley of Competitive Racing Investments. However, Denny Hamlin’s Vegas trip has been nothing short of extraordinary, as fortune seems to be smiling on him. For now, he is preparing to compete in the Pennzoil 400, and a win would make it his best ‘Sin City’ tour.
The post $126,000 Richer, Denny Hamlin Left in Disbelief as He Bursts Out Cursing With Massive Vegas Fortune appeared first on EssentiallySports.
