“That left a chip on his shoulder”: Denny Hamlin’s crew chief reflects on elevating JGR star’s performance after parting ways with longstanding ally

When Denny Hamlin lost his crew chief before the 2025 season kicked off, many, including the Joe Gibbs Racing driver himself, were concerned. Chris Gabehart, his previous crew chief, who is now the Director of Competition at JGR, had been working alongside Hamlin for the past six years.

So, breaking ties with Gabehart, who knew how to bring the most out of Hamlin, did not come off as a calculated move at first. But Chris Gayle, Hamlin’s new crew chief, did not disappoint. Thanks to their newfound pairing, the duo has amassed an impressive six wins, 14 top fives, and 17 top-10s in 33 races this season.

Last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hamlin secured his 60th career victory at the Cup level, tying with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time wins list. Safe to say that the Hamlin-Gayle partnership is working quite well. Gayle appeared in an interview with FOX and said (2:32),

“Denny probably knows losing his crew chief at that point, you know, from last year...he wasn't expecting to do that. I think that probably, you know, left a little chip on his shoulder where, like, okay, I need to fill in, I need to do a little more. Not that he said that to me.” “I think that's allowed me to stand back and see how the team was operating before and fill in some holes that might have been different than the way they would have done it before,” Gayle continued.

By winning the South Point 400 at Las Vegas, Denny Hamlin made the coveted Championship 4 race. But for now, the Tampa, Florida, native is ahead of the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Scheduled for this coming Sunday, October 19, the 188-lap event will stream live on USA from 2 pm ET onwards. Fans can listen to exclusive radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio as well.

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Denny Hamlin gets emotional speaking about his milestone achievement with Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin is known for provoking his haters every time he wins a race. But after winning at Las Vegas, he didn’t. In utter disbelief, the 44-year-old driver was moved to tears.

During his post-race interview with USA’s Marty Snider, the JGR standout said (4:35),

“This win means a lot, this is the point where I kind of give the fans some sh** but not today, I appreciate you all so much.”

As the crowd cheered for the South Point 400 winner, Hamlin dedicated the victory to his father. His voice cracking with emotion, Hamlin continued:

“Obviously just want to say "hi" to my dad and family back at home. We were hoping to get 60 today, but didn't think we were. Just put the pedal down those last 10 laps and made it happen.“

Denny Hamlin happens to be the longest-tenured driver in the NASCAR Cup Series without a championship. The closest he has been to the title was back in 2010, when he finished second to Jimmie Johnson.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua