Denny Hamlin started the 2025 season with a solid third-place finish at The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, though it didn’t quite match his victory at the LA Coliseum the previous year.
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While a crash instigated by Joey Logano marred his Daytona race, his sixth-place finish at Atlanta significantly improved upon his 23rd place in the same race last year.
The accolades for his recent performances are partly credited to his new crew chief, Chris Gayle, who took over after Joe Gibbs elevated his former crew chief Chris Gabehart to the role of competition director after last season, an announcement that came as a shocker to many.
Although Hamlin had previously commented on this transition, team owner Joe Gibbs had not publicly shared his perspective. However, in a post-race press conference at Atlanta, Gibbs finally explained the rationale behind Gabehart’s promotion, emphasizing the broader benefits for the team. Gibbs remarked, “We felt like that we needed some help for our crew chiefs in general, all four of them.”
He continued, “They’re so caught up on their cars, and they’re so focused on it. We felt like by getting somebody to look at things overall, we might be able to give them more help. So that was our reason for that. I think Chris was the right guy. We tried to talk him into it about a year and a half, two years ago. We were able to get it done this time.”
Under Gabehart’s stewardship, Hamlin’s career experienced a consequential resurgence, elevating him to a perennial championship contender. Before Gabehart took the reins of the #11 team, Hamlin had survived a lackluster 2018 season marked by zero victories, only 380 laps led, and a P11 finish in the points standings.
During their six-year tenure together, Hamlin won 22 races and ked 6,072 laps. He earned a berth in the Championship 4 playoff finale thrice and remained a fixture in the top five in points for five of those six years, showing remarkable consistency.
Gabehart is now helping Christopher Bell
When inquired about the rationale behind Gabehart’s transition to the role of competition director, the team explained that his appointment is designed to boost overall team performance. Joe Gibbs lauded Gabehart as an invaluable resource for all four squads, stressing the urgency of shifting him into the competition director role without delay.
And seemingly Bell expects Gabehart to do exactly that. Reflecting on how Gabehart’s new position is enhancing his performance, the #20 driver shared with Fox Sports that Gabehart is committed to advancing all four Joe Gibbs Racing teams in a cohesive and structured manner.
Bell acknowledged that Gabehart’s insights could particularly elevate the #20 team, noting that Hamlin has consistently outperformed him at venues like Kansas Speedway. He attributed this edge to Gabehart’s expertise. Expressing confidence that now, as the Competition Director, Gabehart’s knowledge about the nuances of racing — be it shocks, springs, or bodywork — will be more accessible.
Therefore, while Gabehart’s focus was previously centered exclusively on the #11 car, he can now disseminate the strategies that strengthened the #11 team across all Joe Gibbs Racing teams.
