By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The dog can stay — at least for another round of NASCAR’s playoffs.
The future of little Lulu, the stray puppy Denny Hamlin’s daughters found under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in June, has been in doubt ever since Hamlin decided the addition to his household had derailed his season.
Hamlin even had stats to back up his claims.
Before Lulu returned to North Carolina for a life of luxury with a three-time Daytona 500 winner and his two little girls, Hamlin had three wins, an average finish of 12th and had finished every race.
He was also ranked first in the Cup Series standings.
The very next week, Hamlin’s engine blew for his first DNF of the season. He crashed at Indianapolis, crashed again at Daytona, was dealt a severe penalty by NASCAR for something Toyota did to his engine that took him out of contention for regular-season champion, and started the playoffs ranked seventh in the standings.
Then the first two races of the opening round were disastrous and Hamlin went to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night in danger of being eliminated from the 16-driver playoff field. That’s when he (jokingly) began looking to rehome Lulu, much to his daughters’ dismay.
But when his fourth-place finish at Bristol — he figured he’d have to win the race to avoid elimination — advanced him into the second round of the playoffs, Lulu received a reprieve. It was the first thing 11-year-old Taylor asked on pit road as she stood in front of her father’s car.
Crew chief Chris Gabehart had packed up and was headed on his way when Taylor summoned him over to her.
“Can Lulu still stay though?” she asked.
“Close enough. Close enough,” Gabehart replied. “She survived another week.”
Taylor pumped her fists in joy and twice said, “Let’s Go!”
Hamlin, with 54 career Cup victories, is considered along with Hall of Famer Mark Martin as the best drivers to never win a Cup title. He’s come close — he was runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in 2010, finished third two times, and has advanced into the winner-take-all season finale several times only to come up empty.
He turns 44 in November and his lack of a championship ring has become a bit of a running gag amongst Hamlin and his friends. When he got engaged last December to longtime partner Jordan Fish, the mother of his daughters, he noted in the social media caption that the ring count was 1 for Jordan, 0 for DH.
Time isn’t on Hamlin’s side anymore, especially not with how Kyle Larson is running right now. Larson led all but 38 of the 500 laps Saturday night to win Bristol for his fifth victory of the year, and Christopher Bell, Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, is actually the current points leader and has made it to the final four the last two seasons.
Hamlin isn’t giving up on his quest for that elusive Cup championship.
Next up is Kansas Speedway, where Hamlin has four career victories, including the 2023 spring race. He was second in the playoff race last year and fifth in May.
“It’s all offense from this point forward,” he said. “We’re going to Kansas, a track we’ve been really good at, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the run.”
And, at least for now, Lulu gets to stay at the Hamlin House.