“Let’s call it unorthodox”: Denny Hamlin’s former crew chief reveals his new role at JGR

Chris Gabehart, the former crew chief for Denny Hamlin, started working on the pit box of Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 team with Joe Gibbs Racing. After being elevated to competition director at JGR after the 2024 season, Gabehart returned to the pit box during the Atlanta race on Saturday night (June 28).

Gabehart was able to talk directly to Gibbs during the race and work race strategy directly with crew chief Tyler Allen. While being a race strategist is not typical for a crew chief or competition director, JGR was trying an non-traditional setup by tapping into Gabehart’s vast experience to help Gibbs get into the playoffs. The other three JGR cars have already qualified.

Gabehart’s goal was just to provide strategic decisions and logistics, allowing for quicker decisions during the race. He said to NBC Sports:

“Let’s call it unorthodox for this garage. But the reality is that once (Joe Gibbs Racing) got three cars in the playoffs, when you look at it simply, we’ve got one left we’re trying to get in.” “Really, three out of the last four weeks we’ve been at least within shouting distance of a win with this car. It’s nothing about the job that this team has been doing. It’s taking all your resources that are available to you and trying to get the last car in the playoffs.”

Denny Hamlin is establishing his legacy as one of NASCAR's all-time greats in his 2025 season. He achieved his first win of 2025 at the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, where he won after leading 274 of 400 laps.

Since then, he has added more triumphs to his results, including the win at Michigan International Speedway, marking his third victory of the 2025 season and his 57th all-time Cup Series win. Despite the impressive tally of victories, Hamlin is still widely regarded as one of the best drivers to have never won a NASCAR Cup Series championship.

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Ty Dillon took a hilarious swipe at Denny Hamlin’s fans after defeating him in NASCAR’s in-season challenge

Ty Dillon caused a major upset at the 2025 Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway by defeating NASCAR star Denny Hamlin in the first round of the new In-Season Challenge tournament.

While Hamlin, the No. 1 overall seed and a 57-time Cup Series winner, was expected to advance, he was caught in a massive crash on lap 69 that took out nearly half the field, forcing him to finish 31st and ending his chance at the $1 million prize.

Dillon, who avoided the wreck, finished a strong eighth and advanced to the next round, prompting him to taunt Hamlin’s fans by saying:

"For all you Denny fans out there, I just knocked your favorite driver out."

The crash that ended Denny Hamlin's day was a chaotic chain reaction during the pack racing at Atlanta, also involving other top drivers like Ross Chastain, William Byron, and Joey Logano.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl