Denny Hamlin and his girlfriend Jordan Fish arrive on the red carpet prior to the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas on December 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Getty)
February 22 marks the beginning of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the highly anticipated Daytona 500.
While millions of viewers know the names of the men behind the wheel, many do not know the women who make the men off the race track.
You may know the story and career of Denny Hamlin, the No. 11 car driver, but what about his longtime girlfriend Jordan Fish?
Here’s what you need to know about Hamlin’s leading lady:
1. Jordan Fish Is a Former Charlotte Bobcats Dancer
LadyCat Jordan Fish of the Charlotte Bobcats dances during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Time Warner Cable Arena on February 21, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty)
While attending East Carolina University, Fish was a Charlotte Bobcats dancer for two seasons.
It was during her time as a member of the Lady Cats dance team that she first met Hamlin.
The now 34-year-old driver was sitting courtside when he and Fish, 27, made eye contact during a Lady Cats sideline performance, according to USA Today.
Soon after Hamlin and Fish talked on the phone, but went their separate ways – Hamlin was still in a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Kristin Buntain.
But after eight years of dating, Hamlin and Buntain broke up, and shortly following he and Fish reunited when she contacted him to see if he would sponsor her for the Miss South Carolina USA pageant.
Afterwards, Fish took Hamlin out for a “thank-you” dinner and the rest is history – the two have been dating ever since.
2. Fish Gave Birth to Denny Hamlin’s Daughter
Jordan Fish with daughter Taylor and boyfriend NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin prior to a race in Phoenix last fall. (Instagram/xojordanfish)
Just over two years ago on January 20, 2013, Fish gave birth to her and Hamlin’s first child, Taylor James Hamlin.
Leading up to the birth of their daughter, Hamlin cut his test driving of the new Gen 6 car at Daytona because he didn’t want to be out of state when Fish went into labor, according to a statement he made to Sporting News on January 10.
I didn’t want to leave her home alone at any point during the night. These things can come at any time and she’s due right about now.
Following Taylor’s birth on Sunday evening, Fish tweeted Monday morning:
Introducing Taylor James Hamlin!!! Born Jan 20 at 20:20! Weighting 6lb 5oz and 20 inches in length.
And Fish has been blowing up the Twittersphere with pictures and tweets of their little girl ever since.
3. Fish Is a Model and Actress at Marilyn’s Model and Talent Management
Jordan Fish wearing a Page 6 Boutique dress. (Instagram/xojordanfish)
As a former “Face of FITNESS [Magazine] Finalist Spotlight” and attempted Miss South Carolina USA pageant contestant, Fish has made a career of her looks and avid workout routines.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Fish is currently a model and actress at Marilyn’s Model and Talent Management in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Marilyn’s agency has been around for more than 42 years working to build an inventory filled with experienced and professional talent that’s worldwide.
Their motto, according to their site, is:
Forward Thinking. Top Talent. No Limits.
The agency’s areas of focus include print, promotions, TV and film. And some of their clients have included Coke, Verizon, ESPN, Hanes, Nike, NASCAR, MTV, Fox Sports and Disney.
While there isn’t a profile to feature Fish’s work specifically, some of her personal posts have included tag lines for Hanes, NASCAR and other Marilyn clients.
4. Fish Blogs About Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle and Motherhood
“Is wearing white after Labor Day a do or don’t? See my newest blog post featuring @page6boutique @page6fortmill” (Instagram/xojordanfish)
Fish is an avid social media user – she has 18.9k Twitter followers, more than 6.9k Instagram followers and has her own blog – XO, Jordan – where she posts about fashion, beauty, lifestyle and motherhood.
She tweets out pictures of her outfits, organization and mommy tips, cooking, support for her longtime boyfriend and home videos of her and Taylor.
Fish also show’s support for local companies, like Page 6 Boutique, by wearing and posting about their clothes and accessories.
5. Fish Did a Spoof Dancing With The Stars Audition Tape
Last October, Fish collaborated with NASCAR camera man Matthew Dillner to create an audition video for the ABC hit show, Dancing With the Stars.
And if you’ve ever seen the show in its 19 seasons so far, you’ll notice that the video is a pretty good replica of the training videos shown each week. Fish and Dillner’s audition tape even includes the bio segments and a third party person to come in, give advice and inspire them during their practice time.
The video states that Dillner was inspired following NASCAR’s Michael Waltrip’s stint on Dancing With the Stars.
While dancing was in Fish’s past with the Lady Cats, who knows, it might be in her future on a season of #DWTS.
