All-Access Denny Hamlin Home Tour

The latest edition of NASCAR Illustrated features Denny Hamlin on the cover. The August 2008 edition of the magazine is on newstands now.

Inside there is a picture of Denny sitting on the wall along side his private stretch of beach on beautiful Lake Norman. It showcases Hamlin’s private sheltered dock where he houses his 21 foot Supra Ski Boat. It looks like a slice of paradise, not at all what you would expect for Suburban Charlotte’s lake front.

A few pages later, there is a picture of Denny and his Jack Russell Terrier, Missy. Quite the pampered pooch, as evidenced by her studded collar. When you turn to the page 52, which is the beginning of Hamlin’s Bachelor Pad home tour, you are simply blown away by the landscape and architecture. The roof lines are spectacular and the landscape was personally chosen by Hamlin. When he purchased the house nearly 2 years ago, he had every shrub and tree ripped out and replaced to suit his own taste. He certainly had a great landscaper and exceptional taste. It is absolutely gorgeous.

When you get your first glimpse at Hamlin’s home, you see his own personal style. He prefers a Mediterranean style and the décor certainly reflects that. The colors are light and clean but elegant. The art that adorns the walls was hand chosen from several pieces by the artist. Again, his taste is unique and classic.

His bedroom is quite grand and features a large seating area, complete with a couch and television. The furniture is gorgeous and the ceiling features several bump outs and chandeliers. Denny’s closet is meticulously organized with even his t-shirts on hangers from light to dark. He admits he doesn’t wear three fourths of what’s in there, which is to be expected from someone so busy.

The bathroom showcases a soaker tub, a requirement of the complete renovation that took place with Hamlin bought the house. He hated everything about the inside so he had it gutted and completely redone. While he wanted the soaker tub, he admits that he never uses it. If he needs to soak, he prefers the hot tub.

Flanked by a breakfast nook with its own hand-painted cathedral ceiling, Hamlin’s kitchen is equipped with everything a gourmet chef would desire. But Denny is no chef. If he is able to take it out of a can or simply heat it up, it gets eaten. Otherwise the kitchen doesn’t get much use. Hamlin is however a grill master and prefers to cook on his patio grill that overlooks the lake.

One of Hamlin’s second-floor guest bedrooms is dressed for Mardi Gras and it was Hamlin himself who picked the décor. He spoke to a couple of designers at a home show who told him that the “in” colors were chocolate brown and teal. He wanted a room that was in style and had sparkling diamond stuff, and while he admits it is a cool room, unfortunately it is never used.

A trainer selected the equipment that occupies Hamlin’s well-appointed weight room with specific fitness goals in mind. Denny does a lot of core work with medicine balls and he uses dumbbells for arms, chest and shoulders. He has lost 35 bad pounds and replaced it with muscle. He went from 24 % body fat to about 9%. So the workout room is one of the busiest rooms in the house.

The basement’s bar areas includes a commercial ice machine and a wine vault which can hold 2,700 bottles and features its own waterfall. Hamlin admits to not being a wine connoisseur. In fact, the wine vault is as good for storing bottled water, Red Bull, Diet Coke, beer and liquor as it is for wine, according to Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin and his friends play pool - mostly eight ball- and a lot of Texas Hold ’Em on a matching game table that is housed in the basement. Hamlin admits that the basement is where he and his friends hang out. There isn’t much that they like to do that they can’t do there, so it keeps them from having to go out and fight crowds and traffic.

A 108-inch movie screen is the central fixture in the nine-seat movie theater/media room that Hamlin added in the renovation. Hamlin says converting the basement from an in-laws suite to the hangout space of his dreams took the greatest effort.

The entire home was rewired during Hamlin’s renovation, and all of its audio/video, security and electronic controls were consolidated in a single room contained in the basement.

Hamlin’s basketball court, site of a few serious, pride-on-the-line tournaments, as well as the place where Hamlin injured his hip earlier in the race season, was recently outfitted with lights for night play. The lights, incidentally, shine directly into the bedroom window of his neighbor and boss, Coach Joe Gibbs. Hamlin teases that so far Coach Joe hasn’t really complained, but they haven’t exactly played late into the night yet.

Remarkably secluded for a property jammed into the end of a cul-de-sac, Hamlin’s house offers extraordinary, unobstructed lake views and features a stepping-stone path to a private stretch of beach.

Also shown is Hamlin’s trophy room, which he has already outgrown. He plans to renovate the dining room, which he notes is useless to he and his family and friends, to become his new showcase area for his trophies and treasures.

The article was a breathtaking glimpse into the luxurious life of one of NASCAR’s greatest stars. It was nice to sneak a peek at how the other half lives and see where Hamlin and his roommates spend their down time. Thank you NASCAR Illustrated and Denny Hamlin for the generous tour.