Who would have thought that Denny Hamlin and his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, would part ways after the conclusion of the 2024 season? For a veteran driver who is perhaps on his final few miles of racing at the top level, this was a big gut punch. Being with Gabehart since 2019, Hamlin certainly would’ve liked to retire alongside Gabehart. Perhaps even lift the elusive championship trophy alongside him. But the team owner, Joe Gibbs had other ideas.

The racing world was shocked when the team announced these changes ahead of the NASCAR Awards banquet. And when Denny Hamlin was asked about this decision, he made his feelings clear, stating, “I certainly was shocked. That’s all I’ll say.” It was evident that Hamlin was hurt and disappointed with this decision, and the same could be said about Gabehart. However, JGR’s new competition director isn’t going to hold a grudge over this decision but rather make the most of this opportunity to help the team.

Chris Gabehart opens up about his split with Denny Hamlin

Together, Gabehart and Hamlin won 22 races, allowing the driver of the #11 car to regain his confidence and become a top contender for the championship. The run of 13 victories between 2019 and 2020 has been the highlight of their partnership. However, with the changing landscape of Cup racing with the Next Gen car, they haven’t reached those heights again.

In 2024, the #11 team won three races early in the year, but they fired blanks during the business end of the season. This was the third year in a row that Denny Hamlin didn’t make it to the championship 4. While this partnership looked good on paper, Coach Gibbs knew he had to bring about necessary changes to the team. A decision that wasn’t appreciated by Gabehart at first, but something he came to realize was how he was part of the bigger picture with these changes.

“Is he disappointed? Sure. Am I disappointed? Sure. We don’t live in a vacuum where every decision is 100 % good and 0% not; this is hard stuff. Nothing about it’s easy, but the reality is, as professionals, we know that what we’re trying to do is make Joe Gibbs Racing better. And it’s these types of decisions that have given Denny a 20-year successful career at this company.” Gabehart said this on SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

He also expressed his confidence in Chris Gayle’s abilities and the decision by Gibbs to change the dynamics at JGR. “These things aren’t easy; there’s never an absolute. This one is no different. So I think he understands that, and certainly I understand that. It’s a decision that we chose to make for the betterment of the company. Like I said, I’m confident he’s going to have everything he needs to succeed next year.”

Well, Gayle isn’t new to Joe Gibbs Racing. In fact, he is one of the most trusted personalities within the JGR camp, and looking at his achievements, he could propel Denny Hamlin to new heights.

Who is Chris Gayle, Hamlin’s new crew chief?

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Gayle recently called shots for the #54 team for Ty Gibbs in the Cup Series, but his experience stretches far beyond that. He has served as crew chief for JGR since 2013 and has bagged 37 Xfinity Series victories. Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones were the drivers he worked with during this stint.

Just before Gayle moved to the Cup Series, he led Ty Gibbs to his first Xfinity Series championship in 2022. So, he sure knows how to get the job done in pressure situations, and that is something Hamlin can rely on. “He’s really just had rookie drivers for the most part in the course of his Cup career, so I think it’s going to be a welcomed change for him and welcomed change for me to go out there and try to build a new relationship and obviously win a lot of races,” Hamlin said this about his new crew chief.

It can be a bit intimidating to lead a driver of Hamlin’s stature, but the driver expects Gayle to take command of the ship and guide the driver to do better. “I’ve made it very clear to Chris Gayle that I do not want you treating me with kid gloves. You need to tell me when I need to improve in something, or there’s an area that I’m weak in as a driver. I need that feedback,” he added.

Chris Gayle opened up on his new role at JGR. “It absolutely is a great honor and a great opportunity for me. It just all came down last week when we knew that Chris Gabehart was moving to a competition director role, and it obviously opened up a position with the 11 team,” Gayle said of working with Denny Hamlin on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Gayle also added that he feels this move was best for the team. “And I think it really just came down to, who do we have, who can we get, and what makes our race teams the strongest overall?”

Joe Gibbs Racing is indeed looking like a new outfit with the addition of drivers and shuffling of crew chiefs. However, the impact of this overhaul, good or bad, can only be judged when the 2025 season gets up and running.