AP Top News｜丹尼·哈姆林（Denny Hamlin）为垂危父亲最后一睹自己赢得NASCAR冠军的机会而奋力拼搏

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) Dennis Hamlin took out multiple mortgages on his Virginia home, maxed out every credit card and nearly went broke trying to get his son into NASCAR.

Denny Hamlin made it 21 years ago driving for Joe Gibbs, no less! and his resume boasts 60 career wins, three Daytona 500s among that tally. Theres not much left for his son to do at 44 years old.

Except win a championship, of course. Denny Hamlin is widely considered the greatest driver to never win the Cup and goes into Phoenix Raceway as the sympathetic favorite to win the championship in NASCARs winner-take-all finale.

Dennis Hamlin will not be here. Hes too sick to travel.

Hamlin says his father is dying.

I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it. I dont want him going and never getting to see the moment, Hamlin told The Associated Press of his dad, now 75 and battling a serious illness.

Hamlin had long come to terms with his championship heartbreaks and made new goals tops of the list was hitting 60 wins. When it became clear Hamlin could potentially reach it this year, the race for that milestone became more urgent.

And when Hamlin won at Las Vegas in September to grab the first of four championship berths, he openly wept as he collected the checkered flag that moved him into a tie for 10th on NASCARs all-time list.

He was still emotional two hours after the race as he reflected on all the sacrifices his parents made and the financial leverages they did so their son could chase his childhood dream. Hamlin was going to wait to get home to North Carolina and celebrate with his dad in person.

He was just so happy and he always tells me Im the best, no matter if I win or not, he always says Im the best, Hamlin said. Hes a big hype guy and I sat in his garage and talked with him, hes got all my old memorabilia and its just good to reminisce. Hes a reminiscent guy and right now I am just cherishing those hours that I have with them each week.

He races against fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, as well as Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron, and the highest finisher Sunday will win the title. Its an even split between the winningest championship teams in NASCAR, and a battle between Chevrolet and Toyota.

Larson is the only driver with a previous championship. Byron is back in the championship race for the third consecutive year, while Briscoe is making his debut in his first season driving for Gibbs.

Hamlin isnt sure if the other drivers would be happy if he wins, but he suspects good friend Larson might be OK with it. Larson told The Associated Press if he doesnt win, hed be pleased with a Hamlin championship.

Hes a deserving champion and nearing the end of his career, so if I couldnt win, Id love to see him because youd think hed have one on his resume. He deserves it, Larson told the AP. I could see how (his dad) absolutely gives extra motivation, and I think sympathy goes a long way. Its not going to stop me from wanting to beat him, but theres a lot of reasons a Denny Hamlin championship would feel good.

I truly think everybody in the sport would be happy, probably even the folks at NASCAR.

See, Hamlin drives for Gibbs but teamed with NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in 2020 to form 23XI, the team that launched in 2021. They didnt like the deal offered after two years of contentious negotiations on new charter agreements, refused along with Front Row Racing to sign the agreements, and sued instead.

The lawsuit is contentious and ugly , mediation so far hasnt worked but talks continue as NASCAR claims it very much wants to settle before the Dec. 1 trial.

Hamlin backed by Jordans resolve not to give in is happy to let the case go to trial. He says NASCAR chairman Jim France shakes his hand before each court proceeding, that hes treated fairly at the track by NASCAR officials, and doesnt believe NASCAR will try any tricks to interfere with his ability to have an equal shot at the title.

But even if NASCAR wanted to enter some gamesmanship with the No. 11 team, Hamlin has a history of his own self-sabotage in these situations.

This is realistically his sixth wide-open look at the title, and hes notoriously squandered them all away: Hamlin spun in the 2010 finale, had a bad pit stop in 2014, overheated because the team put too much tape on the front grille in 2019, and then strategy or lack of speed on the No. 11 Toyota cost him in 2020 and 2021.

This year is his first back in the championship four in four seasons, and comes in a year in which hes won a series-high six races and performed extremely well with new crew chief Chris Gayle, who was forced upon him in an offseason reorganization at Gibbs that pushed Chris Gabehart, the crew chief who has extracted the most out of Hamlin in these later years of his career, into a management role.

Hamlin was outspoken about the change he never asked for and didnt have great confidence in Gayle. But, he left it up to Gayle to find his footing with the No. 11 and now Gayle is farther in the playoffs than hed ever been before.

Hamlin now feels some regret over his harsh criticism when JGR first took Gabehart from him and has learned to trust and feel extremely comfortable with Gayle.

And, hopefully, win that elusive title and then return to North Carolina to again sit in the garage with his dad and talk about the race. But this time would be unlike any other.

Jordan in 2024 gave Dennis Hamlin an autographed cigar enclosed in a glass case. It came with a note that said Break it when we win the championship. Dennis Hamlin explained it in an episode of the Netflix series NASCAR: Full Speed.

Im supposed to break that and smoke that cigar. Thats what Im going to do, Dennis Hamlin said on the show. Id give everything I have, every car in this garage, the house, whatever, if I could make that happen.

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AP auto racing:

亚利桑那州埃文代尔（美联社）——丹尼斯·哈姆林为了将儿子送进纳斯卡赛车圈，不惜抵押了位于弗吉尼亚州的房产多次、刷爆所有信用卡，几乎倾家荡产。

21年前，丹尼·哈姆林（Denny Hamlin）就曾为乔·吉布斯车队（Joe Gibbs）效力并取得佳绩！他的职业生涯共获得60场胜利，其中包括三届戴通纳500大赛冠军。如今44岁的他，儿子恐怕已难有更多超越空间。

当然，除了赢得冠军之外。丹尼·哈姆林被普遍认为是NASCAR历史上最伟大的无冕车手，在即将到来的菲尼克斯赛道决胜局中，他以悲情英雄的姿态成为最受观众支持的总冠军热门人选。

丹尼斯·哈姆林将无法到场。他因病重无法出行。

哈姆林表示，他的父亲已病危。

哈姆林向美联社透露，现年75岁的父亲正与重病抗争，他坦言："我很清楚这是我父亲见证这一刻的最后机会。我不希望他离开时，却从未亲眼目睹这一时刻。"

哈姆林早已坦然接受与冠军失之交臂的遗憾，并制定了新的目标——其中首要任务就是达成60场胜利。当意识到今年有望实现这一目标时，他对这一里程碑的追逐变得愈发迫切。

当哈姆林（Hamlin）九月份在拉斯维加斯夺冠，赢得四个锦标赛席位中的第一个时，他手举方格旗公开落泪，这一胜利使他在NASCAR历史排行榜上并列第十位。

比赛结束两小时后，他依然情绪激动，回想着父母为支持他追逐童年梦想所付出的一切牺牲和财力支持。哈姆林打算等到回到北卡罗来纳州的家中，再与父亲当面庆祝。

哈姆林说：“他总是那么开心，不论我输赢，都会夸我是最棒的。他是个特别热情的人，我常坐在他的车库里聊天，他收藏了我所有的旧纪念品，一起回忆往事的感觉真好。他天生怀旧，现在我每周都格外珍惜和他们共度的时光。”

他将与乔·吉布斯车队的队友蔡斯·布里斯科、亨德里克赛车运动车手凯尔·拉森和威廉·拜伦同场竞技，周日比赛中成绩最佳者将赢得冠军头衔。这是美国纳斯卡赛车史上夺冠次数最多的两支车队之间的对决，也是雪佛兰与丰田两大汽车品牌的较量。

拉尔森是唯一一位曾获得过冠军的车手。拜伦连续第三年重返冠军争夺战，而布里斯科则为吉布斯车队效力的首个赛季便迎来首秀。

哈姆林不确定其他车手是否会为他的胜利感到高兴，但他猜测好友拉尔森或许能坦然接受。拉尔森向美联社表示，若自己未能夺冠，他会乐见哈姆林赢得总冠军。

拉尔森对美联社表示："他是一位当之无愧的冠军，且职业生涯已近尾声。即便我无法夺冠，我也希望看到他登顶——毕竟他的履历理应添上这一笔，他配得上这份荣誉。""我能理解（他父亲的事）如何给予他额外的动力，这种共情确实意义深远。但这不会削弱我击败他的决心，只是丹尼·哈姆林夺冠会让人由衷欣慰，其中缘由颇多。"

我真心认为这项运动中的每个人都会感到高兴，甚至可能包括纳斯卡（NASCAR）的那些人。

要知道，哈姆林虽为吉布斯车队效力，却在2020年与NBA名人堂成员迈克尔·乔丹联手创立了23XI车队，该车队于2021年正式参赛。经过两年关于新特许协议充满争议的谈判后，他们对提出的条款不满，遂与前沿赛车一同拒绝签署协议，并选择了提起诉讼。

这起诉讼充满争议且令人不快，尽管目前调解未果，但谈判仍在继续。全美汽车比赛协会（NASCAR）声称非常希望在12月1日庭审前达成和解。

在乔丹（Jordan）绝不妥协的决心支持下，哈姆林（Hamlin）很乐意让案件进入庭审阶段。他表示，纳斯卡（NASCAR）主席吉姆·弗朗斯（Jim France）在每次法庭程序前都会与他握手，自己在赛道上也受到纳斯卡官员的公平对待，并且不相信纳斯卡会耍任何花招来干扰他平等争夺冠军的机会。

但即便NASCAR想与11号车队玩些心理战术，汉姆林（Hamlin）在此类情况下却素有自毁前程的前科。

这实际上是他第六次与冠军失之交臂，而众所周知他每次都功亏一篑：2010年决赛中哈姆林（Hamlin）赛车打转，2014年因维修站失误错失良机，2019年因车队在前格栅粘贴过多胶带导致引擎过热，而2020和2021年则因11号丰田赛车的策略失误或速度不足再度饮恨。

这是他时隔四个赛季首次重返冠军四强赛，而这一年他赢得了系列赛中最高的六场比赛，并与新任车队主管克里斯·盖尔配合极为出色。盖尔是在吉布斯车队休赛期重组中被强行安排给他的，此举使得克里斯·加贝哈特——这位在哈姆林职业生涯后期最大限度激发其潜力的车队主管——转入了管理岗位。

哈姆林直言不讳地表示，他从未要求过这一变动，也对盖尔缺乏足够信心。但他仍放手让盖尔适应11号角色，如今盖尔在季后赛中的表现已远超其以往成绩。

当JGR最初将加布哈特从自己身边调走时，哈姆林曾言辞激烈地表示不满，如今他对此感到些许懊悔，并已学会信任盖尔，且感到与他共事极为自在。

但愿他能赢得那个梦寐以求的冠军头衔，然后回到北卡罗来纳州，再次和父亲坐在车库里谈论比赛。但这一次将不同于以往任何一次。

2024年，乔丹赠予丹尼斯·哈姆林一支签名雪茄，雪茄被封装在玻璃盒中，并附有一张纸条写道：“夺冠时打开它。”丹尼斯·哈姆林在Netflix系列纪录片《NASCAR：极速争胜》的一集中解释了这一礼物。

“我本该打破那个规矩，抽那支雪茄。这就是我要做的，”丹尼斯·哈姆林在节目中说。“只要能实现这个愿望，我愿意付出我拥有的一切——车库里的每辆车、房子，所有东西。”

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