CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Friday morning that Chris Gabehart would no longer be Denny Hamlin's crew chief. This is a move that caught many off guard, including the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE.
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"I was certainly shocked by it," Hamlin said ahead of the NASCAR Awards about Gabehart being promoted to competition director.
While members of the industry learned about the move through a press release, Hamlin found out in a different way. He had to head to an evening meeting at Joe Gibbs Racing, much like he did in August when he learned about an L2-level penalty issued to the team due to an engine mistake.
"I got called into a six-o'clock meeting," Hamlin said. "I'm never going to JGR at six o'clock ever again. All of those meetings are bad."
Losing Gabehart, a crew chief with whom Hamlin has won 22 Cup races, may not have been an ideal way for the veteran driver to kick off the offseason. That doesn't mean he has any ill will toward the organization.
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As Hamlin explained, he understands why Joe Gibbs Racing promoted Gabehart to competition director and moved Chris Gayle from the No. 54 team to the No. 11 team.
"I think that they are looking for an improvement on performance on the (No.) 54 and they're looking for an overall performance for all the teams because we certainly hadn't won the amount of races as an organization as what we should."
Hamlin will have to accept the organizational changes that shocked him and he will have to move forward to the 2025 season.
But it's not like he will enter the season unfamiliar with Chris Gayle. The two previously worked together in a different national NASCAR series.
Gayle was atop the pit box for several of Hamlin's Xfinity Series starts. They competed in five races together in 2015, two in 2016, and one in 2021. They celebrated a win together at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This experience will have to be the foundation upon which Hamlin and Gayle build their relationship moving forward. Hamlin already has experience with his current team and Gayle, but this is not the same for the team. They will have to adapt to Gayle as he tries to keep the No. 11 team in regular contention for wins.
"What I like about Chris and what I've heard so far is that he's willing to adapt to the way me and Chris (Gabehart) have done it and also add his own flavor to it as well, which is good," Hamlin said. "Because new perspectives are always good."
