NASCAR star Denny Hamlin paid a heartfelt tribute to Jon Edwards, Al Pearce, and Shigeaki Hattori on Sunday at Bristol, honoring their memory after a strong finish in the race. The passing of these three influential figures last week deeply impacted the NASCAR community.
Shigeaki Hattori, owner of Hattori Racing Enterprises in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, tragically lost his life in a head-on crash involving his Toyota Crown on NC Highway 73.
Jon Edwards, known for his role as director of racing communications at Hendrick Motorsports and for working closely with Kyle Larson, passed away suddenly ahead of the Bristol race weekend. Larson dedicated his race on Friday to Edwards’ memory.
Al Pearce, a legendary NASCAR journalist and Hall of Fame writer, authored 13 books and devoted over 50 years to covering motorsports.
After finishing on the podium, Hamlin praised Larson’s exceptional performance in the Cup Series race, telling FOX NASCAR:
“You’ve got to give credit to Kyle and his team. He was dominant today—looked flawless out there. I gave it everything I had to keep up, but he was just too strong. Still, proud we could put up a fight with our Progressive Toyota.
“This weekend, our thoughts are with the families of Jon Edwards, Al Pearce, and Shigeaki Hattori. We’ve lost some incredible people in the sport this week, and they’ll be missed dearly.”
Hamlin, who recently secured wins at Martinsville and Darlington, was aiming for a third straight victory at Bristol. Although he fell short, the 44-year-old remains optimistic about the season.
“It’s been a strong month for us. We’re in a good rhythm and just need to keep building on it. That starts tomorrow—getting back to work and finding ways to improve,” he added.
