Hamlin, Gibbs to have new crew chiefs in 2025
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Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs will both be working with a new crew chief beginning with the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season as Joe Gibbs Racing announced several personnel moves Friday.
Chris Gabehart, who had worked with Hamlin on the No. 11 team for the last six seasons, has been named competition director. Gabehart and Hamlin won 22 races together, including two in the Daytona 500. The duo also made three consecutive appearances in the Championship 4.
"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 11 team," Gabehart said. "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."
Chris Gayle will assume the role of Hamlin's crew chief. Gayle had been paired with Ty Gibbs on the No. 54 team the last two seasons.
"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."
Gayle led the Xfinity Series program at Joe Gibbs Racing to 10 wins with four different drivers in 2021. He and Gibbs won the series of championships the following year before moving into the Cup Series together in 2023. The duo earned a spot in the Cup Series postseason for the first time in 2024 and finished 15th in the standings.
The new crew chief for Gibbs has not yet been announced.
"We have a lot of pride in the depth of talent we have throughout our organization," said 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 over the past several years.
"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."
