Chris Gabehart: Meet Denny Hamlin’s crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing

NASCAR is as much a team sport as anything else. And fans can forget that at times because, at the end of a race, the maximum credit and spotlight goes to the driver. However, it is worth mentioning that the leader of a team in NASCAR usually is the crew chief, and one of the most respected crew chiefs in the NASCAR Cup Series today is none other than Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Chris Gabehart. The 42-year-old has been in the sport for a long time and currently, he works as the crew chief of the #11 team with Denny Hamlin as his driver.

Who is Denny Hamlin?

Denny Hamlin is perhaps the best NASCAR driver to never win a Cup Series championship yet. The driver of the #11 car has amassed more than 5o wins in his illustrious career, including 3 Daytona 500 victories. However, he has been extremely unlucky when it comes to winning the Cup Series title. He has come close on several occasions and 2024 will be another year of his quest for the coveted trophy. He may be a polarizing figure for the fan base but Hamlin has earned the respect of the people involved in the sport with his numerous race wins, a lot of which came in his time working with Gabehart.

Who is Denny Hamlin’s Crew Chief Chris Gabehart?

Chris Gabehart has been Denny Hamlin’s crew chief since 2019 in the NASCAR Cup Series. He cut his teeth and proved his worth in the Xfinity Series where he worked as a crew chief for Erik Jones. Since his promotion to the Cup, he has worked with drivers like Ryan Preece, Kyle Benjamin, and Brandon Jones. But majorly, he has been the talisman for Hamlin, who has seen perhaps the most successful years of his career with Gabehart. What’s interesting about him is that he used to be a successful race car driver, one of the few who has successfully made the jump to Crew Chief.

Chris Gabehart’s Racing Career

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As a driver, Chris Gabehart was not one to be taken lightly. His first venture into motorsports came at the young age of 10 when he raced go-karts in the World Karting Association. It did not take the now 42-year-old to taste success as he won several national championships. Gabehart would then grow an affinity towards Late Model racing which saw him compete in the prestigious ARCA/CRA Super Series. He raced in the competition for his family team in 2007 and against all odds, won the championship. But the story of how his career ended is truly unfortunate. Inadequate finances and a lack of sponsorships ultimately killed his driving career, but Gabehart never gave up on his dream of being in motorsports.

Chris Gabehart transitioning into the role of Crew Chief

He made inroads into the world of NASCAR as an engineer thanks to one of Hamlin’s former teammates, Kyle Busch. Gabehart’s first crew job in NASCAR was as an engineer for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series. He was then hired by Joe Gibbs Racing in a similar role. After years of learning from some of the best crew chiefs, Gabehart became one in 2016. He worked for one year with Erik Jones before moving to the Cup Series. He then managed Ryan Preece, Brandon Jones, and Kyle Benjamin before joining the #11 team.

Chris Gabehart named as the crew chief of Denny Hamlin

He was named crew chief of the #11 team in 2019 and the rest is history. The two have shared several incredible moments like the 2019 and 2020 Daytona 500s, the 2021 Southern 500, and the 2022 Coca-Cola 600. “With Chris Gabehart joining Adam Stevens, Chris Gayle, and Cole Pearn on the Cup side we believe we have the right leaders in place to benefit our entire organization,” Joe Gibbs had said at the time of the 42-year-old’s appointment. The partnership between the pair has been a fruitful one and there are many years of it to come.

Chris Gabehart marking his 150th race as a crew chief

His career’s biggest milestone came at the Goodyear 400 in Darlington in 2023 when he marked his 150th race as a crew chief. They won their first Cup Series race together, the 2019 Daytona 500. When he had achieved that milestone, Gabehart’s stats were – 17 victories, five poles, 67 top-five results, 88 top-10 results, and 4,064 laps led. Since his appointment, Denny Hamlin has made it to the final 4 of the Cup Series 3 times in 5 years. In the two years he didn’t make it, the #11 car made it till the final 8. In 2024, he will have one goal, winning the championship with Denny Hamlin. But that’s easier said than done.

Will Chris Gabehart be able to clinch the Cup Series championship in 2024?

The goal for the #11 team, yet again, is to win that Cup Series champion. Ideally, the team would want to win a race early on in the regular season and book their place in the playoffs. That will take a lot of pressure off Hamlin’s shoulders for the rest of the regular season. The playoffs are hard to predict. A team has to click at the right moment, exactly like what happened with the #12 of Ryan Blaney in 2023. Nevertheless, watching the #11 car in action in 2024 will be an intriguing affair.