NASCAR star Denny Hamlin and his longtime partner Jordon Fish recently welcomed their first son, Jameson Drew Hamlin, on July 11, marking a joyful new chapter for the family of five. However, Fish revealed in a deeply personal conversation on Haley Dillon's podcast that settling on a name for their newborn wasn't a smooth process and nearly ended with them naming him "Buddy."
Fish opened up about the emotional post-labor days and the pressure of naming their son amid the whirlwind of recovery and paperwork deadlines. With Hamlin skipping the Mexico City NASCAR Cup Series race that weekend to be by her side, the couple took their time to finalize a name two days after the birth.
"We didn't name him until the morning of the 13th. We're just calling him Buddy, like, 'Hey Buddy, we're so happy you're here.' His name almost became Buddy, it still kind of technically is in my book... We were just not agreeing," Jordon revealed in the podcast. (39:39 onwards)
Jordon Fish shared that the naming discussion became a major point of discussion. The couple used ChatGPT and gave a list of their favorite names to suggest combinations, and then narrowed down the list.
Eventually, they agreed on the name 'Jameson,' which checked several boxes. It translates to 'James' son', paying tribute to Denny Hamlin's legal first name, James, while 'Drew' symbolized strength. Fish had initially leaned toward Miles Miller, and briefly, James Drew Miller Hamlin was on the table, until they realized the overlap with a friend's name.
"I was like what if we did Jameson because it means James' son, right? So it's still James is in there. And then I liked Drew... That was one of our names that we both agreed on together... So I was like, 'What about Jameson Drew and we'll drop the Miller? He was like, 'I like that.' I'm like, okay, Jameson Drew Hamlin, that's our name," she explained. (44:47 onwards)
The final version, Jameson Drew Hamlin, came together at the eleventh hour, just before the hospital issued a birth certificate.
"I wanted to keep JD in the name": Denny Hamlin reflects on naming his son after Joe Gibbs' son

Denny Hamlin missed the Cup Series race in Mexico City to be with Jordon and their daughters, Taylor and Molly, for the birth of their first son. It was a fitting moment of pause for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver, whose own career was shaped by the late JD Gibbs, son of Joe Gibbs and James Dean, the man responsible for giving Hamlin his first break.
On his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin walked listeners through the whirlwind naming process, from brainstorming thousands of names with his niece to using technology, all while trying to keep the initials JD alive in tribute to both JD Gibbs and James Dean, a pivotal car owner early in Hamlin's journey.
"I wanted to keep JD in the name. I'm a JD. JD Gibbs obviously was a huge person in my life and my racing career. James Dean, also was a huge part. He was my car owner in late models... So there's just too many JDs that were important in my life to not have him be a JD," Denny Hamlin said. (7:25 onwards)
The couple initially considered James Drew Miller Hamlin, a name that honored both family ties and personal heroes, but eventually opted for a shorter name. Hamlin joked that they were "on the clock" as hospital staff awaited paperwork.
Denny Hamlin's former teammate, Kyle Busch, had earlier lobbied for the name 'Lewis Hamlin' in reference to Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.
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