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TOUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With the help of a NASCAR driver, an Alabama community came together in the wake of disaster.
Before he races in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, racecar driver Denny Hamlin was in Tuscaloosa to present a local family with a newly built home after the family lost everything in a tornado.
Hamlin, along with employees from FedEx and the Salvation Army were on hand to welcome the Torres family to its new home.
Benjamin Torres, a father of three children, lost the home he was renting in an April 27, 2011 tornado. The Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran, who served in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, was out of the state when the storm hit. He frantically returned to Tuscaloosa to find his home destroyed, but joyfully found his children, who were staying with their mother, unharmed.
It was an emotional moment for the homeowners as Hamlin signed autographs and thanked them for their courage through their trial.
"Besides having my kids, this is probably the greatest moment of my life," Benjamin Torres said.
NASCAR fan or not, you can't help but want to cheer for Hamlin in his upcoming race.
