Denny Hamlin will have a new crew chief as he continues his quest for a NASCAR Cup Series title.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Friday that Chris Gabehart will become the team’s competition director and Chris Gayle will become Hamlin’s crew chief.
Gabehart had been Hamlin’s crew chief since the start of the 2019 season and the two had formed one of the most successful driver-crew chief duos in NASCAR. Over the past six seasons, Hamlin has won 23 races and has never finished lower than eighth in the standings.
Hamlin won 13 races in their first two seasons together, but finished fourth in the standings each season. The 44-year-old is the most successful driver in NASCAR Cup Series history without a Cup title. Hamlin has 54 victories and three Daytona 500 victories, but he has only finished second in the points standings once.
In 2024, Hamlin won three times and had 18 top-10 finishes but was eliminated from the playoffs in the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville. He finished eighth in the standings after an 11th place in Phoenix.
Gayle has been Ty Gibbs’ crew chief at JGR for two seasons. A longtime JGR crew chief, Gayle has worked with the team in various capacities since the 2013 season. He served as crew chief for Erik Jones on the No. 20 car from 2017 to 2020.
Gayle served as crew chief for Gibbs in the Xfinity Series in 2022 as Gibbs won seven races and the Xfinity Series title. Jones has two Cup Series victories with Gayle as drivers have earned 37 Xfinity Series victories on Gayle’s teams. No crew chief for Gibbs for the 2025 season has been announced.
