Why Denny Hamlin’s Latest Change Is a “Big Surprise” for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Chris Gabehart being removed as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief is a move that none anticipated from Joe Gibbs Racing. The pair have been actively challenging for titles together since 2019 and raked up 22 victories in the process. As Hamlin and his fans try to cope with the setback, industry icons including Dale Earnhardt Jr. have expressed their surprise at the news.

The former Hendrick Motorsports icon said on his podcast, “He [Hamlin] has been one of the guys we thought could have a shot at it [the championship].”

“So, for them to mash the pause button on that and make a complete change a shift in a whole different direction was really a surprise. But I guess the idea is that the future of Joe Gibbs Racing is the most important thing.”

Gabehart will take up the role of Competition Director from 2025 and Chris Gayle will camp up with Hamlin as crew chief. Gayle was previously working with Ty Gibbs and his No. 54 team.

Junior continued to note that Gabehart’s hard work and dedication to race craft will work wonders for the team in the new role, but only at the cost of Hamlin and his probability of being a champion.

He said, “It’s probably not the best thing for Denny or the No. 11 team. They’ll be in great hands and Denny will probably be very competitive. It’s not the end of the road for him but yeah, I mean, it was surprising.”

With Martin Truex Jr. retiring and Hamlin on the edge of doing so, Gibbs has begun filling his team with young blood. Following the signing of Chase Briscoe, this appears to be a move along similar lines.

Was Hamlin not informed of Gabehart’s removal from his team?

When a crew chief is being given a new position within a team it is only natural to expect that his driver would be a part of the conversation. But Coach Gibbs did not involve Hamlin in the discussions that went behind Gabehart’s removal from the No. 11 team and his promotion as Competition Director. 

Surprised when the news was broken to him, Hamlin said during the Annual Awards Banquet, “The first few days were a shock, but I’m moving on. There’s nothing I can do to change anything that happened. JGR is doing what they feel is best for them and I totally understand that.”

“If all of our programs get better, the No. 11 car’s gonna run better as well, right?” The driver moves forward with optimism. Hopefully, the pairing with Gayle will result in him becoming a Cup Series champion before retirement comes knocking.