Joe Gibbs weighs in on whether JGR’s ‘tough’ decision about Chris Gabehart worked out as intended

Last November, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was notified of an early change for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. He was told that Chris Gabehart, who had been calling races for the No. 11 driver since 2019, would not be his crew chief anymore.

JGR decided that Chris Gayle should be the crew chief for Hamlin going forward, while Gabehart should move to competition director. Hamlin was concerned about whether it was the right move. Nevertheless, it happened.

Almost an entire season later, Hamlin stands strong at 60 career wins, with the last six of them coming this year itself. His most recent win came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ranked fourth in driver standings and locked into the Championship 4, Hamlin is vying for his maiden Cup Series championship.

“It's not one person ever doing it. It's a group,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “All of our people that are our management group make decisions. That was a tough one. There was a lot to go through there.”

“Denny, that was not something that was easy for him, but he worked his way through it. Chris did the same thing,” Gibbs continued. “Then Chris Gabehart moving up also has filled that role for us. It was people, you know, looking at it. A group made the decision. Then people followed through.”

By winning last week at Talladega, Hamlin’s JGR teammate Chase Briscoe, too, made the Championship 4. Next up for the drivers is the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Scheduled for October 26, fans can watch the race on Peacock (2 pm ET) or listen to its live radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Chase Briscoe reflects on leaving Tony Stewart and joining Joe Gibbs

After driving the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing car full-time for four whole seasons, Chase Briscoe was told that the NASCAR Cup Series team, owned by automotive tycoon Gene Haas and former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, would cease operations. This meant Briscoe would need a new team and coach.

He did a commendable job at Joe Gibbs Racing, replacing Martin Truex Jr. behind the No. 19 Toyota Camry. But parting ways with SHR wasn’t easy. It was SHR with whom Briscoe earned his first Cup Series win.

“Just knowing that chapter of my life was ending, not knowing what the JGR chapter was really going to look like,” Briscoe said in a statement (via AP News). “You never know going to a new place. If I don’t go win, I’m never going to get hired again because the expectation is you have to go to JGR and win.”

“If you can’t win in a JGR car, why would anybody hire you for another team?” he added.

Things seem to be working well for Briscoe as well as Joe Gibbs Racing as an organization. He is in a multi-year contract with the Huntersville, North Carolina-based team.