Joe Gibbs Racing announced a pair of significant changes to its NASCAR Cup Series leadership team on Friday, reshuffling its crew chief roles ahead of the 2025 season.
Chris Gabehart, who has led the No. 11 team for the past six seasons, will transition to the role of competition director for the organization. Taking over the No. 11 team will be Chris Gayle, who has been the crew chief for the No. 54 team for the past two seasons.
Both Gabehart and Gayle are longtime members of the JGR organization, and each guided their respective teams to the playoffs this season.
“We have a lot of pride in the depth of talent we have throughout our organization,” Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of JGR, said in a statement. “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 (Hamlin) 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.”
Gabehart joined JGR in 2012 as a race engineer and moved up to crew chief in the Xfinity Series from 2016 to 2018. He then took over the No. 11 team in 2019, forming a successful partnership with driver Denny Hamlin. Together, they won the 2019 Daytona 500 and advanced to the Championship 4 in each of the next three seasons.
“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 towards making 2025 one of the best seasons Joe Gibbs Racing has ever had.”
Gayle, a veteran crew chief with multiple championships in both the Cup and Xfinity Series, will now lead the No. 11 team with Hamlin. He has a strong track record of success at JGR, having previously worked with drivers like Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs.
“Denny is obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Gayle said. “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.”
JGR has not yet announced a replacement crew chief for the No. 54 team.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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