Another Death Crushes NASCAR, Natalie Decker As Sexy Mrs. Claus & Here's How Drivers Hit On Hot Women
I'm gonna be honest with you – I didn't quite expect the new NASCAR year to start like it did. More death? Really? I mean, what are we doing here? Who in the world pissed off the NASCAR Gods?
I didn't think we could possibly start 2026 on a worse note than how we ended 2025. It honestly didn't seem possible, nor plausible. And then Denny Hamlin's father died in a house fire, with his mom just narrowly evading it, last week in North Carolina, and we somehow got another crushing death in the NASCAR world.
Brutal few weeks. Just brutal. I can't harp on it too much today. It's a new year. We HAVE to start somewhat positive, or this may just become the most depressing class on the planet. We'll talk about it, but we're also going to have fun today.
How, you ask? Well, I've got Natalie Decker ready to be the hottest Mrs. Claus this side of the Mississippi. How about THAT for a tease?
What else? Sam Busch reveals how Kyle made his move years ago, Danica spent the week in her PJs, and what would you like NASCAR to leave behind in 2026?
It's a question weirdly making the rounds on social media, and if it's good enough for Elon's Twitter, Lord knows it's good enough for us!
Oh yeah! On the way out, we'll dive into the stinky 8-9 Carolina Panthers making the playoffs, because … that seems like something you folks would LOVE if it ever happened in this sport.
Has it? I don't recall! We'll do a quick pulse-check and figure it out.
Four tires, enough fuel to get me through a Jan. 5 class trying to talk about a sport that's been in offseason mode for two months, and maybe some good luck for this series in 2026? Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘Boy, The Cupboard Is BARE Today’ edition – is LIVE!
Denny Hamlin gives the update nobody wants to give
I said we were gonna talk about it, so we're gonna go ahead and get it out of the way early and then try to pick up the pieces before the final bell.
Dennis Hamlin, 75, died from injuries suffered in the fire last Sunday. Hamlin's mom, Mary Lou, was transferred to a special hospital in Winston-Salem to treat her burn injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials said it broke out at a home in Stanley around 6 p.m.
Both Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin were out of the house as emergency personnel rushed to the scene.
"Thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences on my father’s passing, " Denny tweeted on Wednesday. "My mother continues to improve, and our family truly appreciates the outpouring of support and the respect for our privacy during this time."
Denny's dad had been a big topic of conversation last year. Some of it was public. Some of it was not. Everyone, I think, knew he was in bad health, which made Denny's championship run – and ultimate loss – that much more painful.
It's why this scene below went viral. I don't think it was because Denny just lost. I don't think it's because of the way he lost. I think, at the end of the day, it's because he knew this was his dad's final chance to see him win a title:
The Daytona 500 is in six weeks, and we still don't have a format?
Like I said – a brutal year for Denny. A brutal year for NASCAR. But Hamlin, in particular, really went through it in 2025.
The court battle. The championship race. The loss. Losing his father. Can we please, for the love of God, get this guy a Daytona 500 win next month? Think you can do that, Racin' Gods?
Speaking of … yes, we're gonna invite Larry Mac to class earlier than usual today:
41 days? That doesn't seem possible! But he's right. Like I said, a little over a month away from the start of a new season … and we STILL don't have an update on the playoff format?
Could you imagine this happening in ANY other sport? Could you imagine the NFL just promising a new format, and then it's August and they still hadn't announced anything yet?
There would be pandemonium in the streets. People would be calling for Goodell's head. It's Jan. 5, NASCAR. Let's get this show on the road. Time's a-tickin.
By the way, speaking of the NFL playoffs …
Danica, Samica & Natica!
Regan Smith! My Fox teammate, just stirring the pot after the final Red Zone witching hour of the season. I've heard rumors that Regan is a regular in this class, by the way. Don't be shy! Come on down. You've got a seat the front any time you want it!
I've long said that NASCAR fans have been talking out of both sides of their mouths for a while now when it comes to the playoff stuff. All I ever hear and see is NASCAR getting compared to stick-and-ball sports. That's what we want. That's what we do.
Until it comes to the playoffs. Then, it doesn't count. This was always my argument for Joey Logano winning it all a few years back. Just because you have a mediocre regular season doesn't mean you can't win a championship. It HAPPENS. It's rare, but it happens.
No, I do not think the Panthers are winning shit this year. Yes, I think the NASCAR postseason needs to be tweaked. But … these things happen all the time.
OK, couple quickies on the way out. First? What would YOU leave behind in 2025?
Obviously, the playoff format is a big one. That one IS getting left behind, allegedly. I'd obviously leave Steve Phelps and Steve O'Donnell behind, as would Richard Childress. That ain't happening, though.
I would NOT leave Corey Heim (No. 67) behind, mainly because of Taylor Reimer:
I also wouldn't leave the NASCAR on TNT broadcast behind, mainly because it had Dale Jr. I thought that part of the season was actually fine.
How about you? Zach.Dean@OutKick.com!
I also wouldn't leave Danica behind, even though she's been out of NASCAR for a decade now. Still, wouldn't do it!
A Christmas trip to the mountains AND party time with the girlfriends, all in the same week? What a run for our girl. I think Danica's in for a big 2026. I also think we're gonna get her in this class at this point. Just a hunch.
Maybe Natalie Decker, too!
One last photo of Mrs. Claus before officially turning the page to the new year. Any complaints? No? Didn't think so!
OK, that's it for today. Weird start to the new NASCAR year. We can only go up from here.
Take us into it, Samantha Busch! Sam, BTW, recently said Kyle had his PR girl track her down after a race years ago to get her number.
"In your 20s, a PR girl will ask for your number for a guy named Rowdy," she said. "It's very important that you give her your number."
The rest was history.