New Crew Chief For Hamlin As Gabehart Shifts Roles

Denny Hamlin (right) will have a new crew chief in 2025 after six years with Chris Gabehart. (Rusty Jarrett/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – After a six-year stint with Chris Gabehart atop his pit box, Denny Hamlin will have a new crew chief leading his No. 11 Toyota team in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.

Chris Gayle – a two-decade veteran at Joe Gibbs Racing who most recently guided Ty Gibbs to a playoff appearance in 2024 – will assume signal-calling duties for Hamlin starting with the non-points Busch Light Clash in February, as Gabehart transitions to the role of competition director for JGR.

It’s the first change at crew chief for Hamlin since the end of 2018, when Gabehart first linked up with the Chesterfield, Va., native and began a stretch that included two Daytona 500 victories, three straight Championship 4 appearances from 2019-’21, and a total of 22 Cup Series wins overall.

“Any time a company like JGR has an employee that sticks with them for 20 years or more like (Chris) Gayle has, you know they believe in what that person brings to the table,” Hamlin told reporters during media sessions at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Friday morning.

“I would say right now that he probably knows me more than I know him, truthfully, but all the teams at JGR work together very closely and when we debrief on Mondays and I’m giving advice on where I think we should steer the ship, I know he’s taking notes,” Hamlin added. “I think that there will still be a bit of a transition, but that we should start bearing fruit quicker on the results side than if I had to completely start over with someone who didn’t have his tenure and experience.”

Gayle, who started as an engineer with JGR back in 2003, has a pair of Cup Series wins as a crew chief on his resume. The bulk of his success to-date, however, came in the Xfinity Series, where he’s been a part of 37 victories as a crew chief, as well as the 2022 Xfinity Series championship with the young Gibbs.

Now, Gayle will look to further enhance his credentials with Hamlin, who enters the upcoming year still seeking the Cup Series title that has eluded him for the past two decades.

“Denny is obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” said Gayle. “I’m looking forward to working with him and the guys on the No. 11 team. He and Gabehart have established an incredible culture that is a very good barometer for our other drivers and teams to strive to match. I have all the confidence in the world we can hit the ground running and continue the success that this group is accustomed to in 2025.”

Gabehart moves to oversee JGR’s competition department after nine years as a crew chief between the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series, with 31 combined victories and 26 combined pole positions during his tenure on the pit box.

“I am very thankful for the opportunities that Joe Gibbs Racing has continued to provide me for my entire tenure here and cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed and appreciated my time with Denny and the entire [No.] 11 team,” said Gabehart. “They have all taught me so much about not only how to race at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series, but also, how to lead a great group of talented professionals. In my next opportunity, I am as excited as I have ever been to work with all our talented drivers, crew chiefs, teams and partners to help focus all our efforts toward making 2025 one of the best seasons Joe Gibbs Racing has ever had.”

“We have a lot of pride in the depth of talent we have throughout our organization,” added team founder and owner Joe Gibbs. “Chris Gabehart will now be an asset across all four of our teams as competition director, and we thought it was important to have him transition into his new role immediately. Chris Gayle will bring his own perspective to the 11 team while also maintaining the consistency and continuity they have developed with Denny [Hamlin] over the past several years.”

The new crew chief for Ty Gibbs and JGR’s No. 54 Cup Series team will be announced at a later date.

“While we are still in the process of finalizing the new crew chief for the 54 team, we believe all these moves ultimately make our team stronger as we prepare for 2025,” noted Gibbs.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off Sunday, Feb. 2 with the non-points Busch Light Clash at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, N.C., followed by the 67th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Both races will air live on FOX, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.