There was a lot of panic and uncertainty after Joe Gibbs Racing decided to separate Denny Hamlin and Chris Gabehart. After all, the two were considered among the best driver/crew chief duos in the NASCAR garage. With two Daytona 500 triumphs and three championship 4 appearances, it looked like if someone could lead Hamlin to his first championship, it was Gabehart.

But Joe Gibbs made a surprising decision of bumping Gabehart into the role of competition director and bringing in Chris Gayle to lead the #11 team. Like Gabehart, Gayle has been integrated into the JGR system for a long time, working with drivers like Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs. But let’s be fair, this new role leading the charge for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team is perhaps too big of a challenge.

Another concern with this sudden change was, how will this shake-up affect the #11 team? Gayle would want to implement his formula and expertise after all; he is the one calling the shots at the top of the pit box. Luckily, the team hasn’t had to deal with such a situation where Hamlin is sticking to his guns, while Gayle is trying to push his ideas.

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team is pretty much the same

Gabehart may be supervising all the race teams at Joe Gibbs Racing, but he made sure he gave Chris Gayle a rundown on how things are at the #11 team. Denny Hamlin is an old dog who can’t be taught new tricks, at least not in the Next Gen car. He was pretty clear about this while explaining why he doesn’t improve his road racing skills. While he does have a new crew chief in place, the system and blueprint that has been set by Gabehart will be put to use in 2025.

Bob Pockrass from FOX wanted to know the dynamics of how the #11 team is coming about after Gabehart’s departure. In response, the veteran driver stated, “You know, going through that process, it appears to me that Chris Gayle has more adopted the 11-way of doing things. He has his own ways of doing things for sure, but he’s more came into our system versus us changing to a new system.”

It’s not that Gayle isn’t skilled or qualified enough to lead a charge of the team as he wishes. He has 37 Xfinity Series wins under his belt along with a championship with Ty Gibbs and the #54 team in 2022. On the Cup side of things, he has bagged a Southern 500 victory with Erik Jones, so he knows his way around the garage and can work things out on his own. But it would make sense to develop and enhance the current program with Hamlin, rather than starting a new one from scratch.

“Obviously when he came in, the entire 11-team besides the crew chief that’s changed. I think Chris Gabehart kinda educated them on what our system was, what we look for and he’s going from there.” Hamlin added. Well, things are looking up for the #11 team on the sponsorship side of things. After roping in Kings Hawaiian, Hamlin and his team have found a new partner that will fill the void left by FedEx and Mavis Tires.

National Debt Relief to sponsor Denny Hamlin at the Daytona 500

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The industry leader in debt settlement, National Debt Relief, has partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing to serve as the primary sponsor for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team in 2025. The company will feature on the No. 11 Toyota Camry at the season-opening race, Daytona 500. They will return to sponsor the veteran JGR three more times in 2025 at COTA, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, and the Talladega Superspeedway fall race.

They will have placement on the No. 11 Toyota as the associate sponsor as well, starting out with the Clash at Bowman Gray. This is the second major sponsorship deal JGR has cracked for their star driver. There was a lot of nervous energy and uncertainty surrounding sponsorship news on the #11 team ever since FedEx left them last year.

“National Debt Relief is going to be a great asset to our team. Growing up, my parents did everything possible to further my racing career, and that was obviously not easy financially. So, I understand the reality that so many people are facing and the uncertainty that financial hardship can bring. I’m excited about this partnership and the opportunity we have to promote National Debt Relief’s services that allow people to get out of debt and get their life back on track.” Hamlin said this in a press release.

Slowly and steadily, JGR is starting to fill the void FedEx has left in the #11 team. They will need another partner or commitments from existing ones to fill the rest of the schedule with sponsorship deals.