REPORT: Chris Gabehart HAS LEFT Joe Gibbs Racing | Reaction, Analysis, & Speculation

Chris Gabehart leaving Joe Gibbs Racing might be the biggest midweek curveball of the entire offseason. After transforming Denny Hamlin’s career resurgence, elevating JGR’s companywide performance, and guiding one of Toyota’s best seasons in recent memory, he’s suddenly out the door. And it wasn’t a press release that broke it, it was Jenna Fryer confirming it during a break in court, adding yet another twist to a week already overflowing with courtroom drama. The questions now swirling around Gibbs, Hamlin, Ty, and Toyota are enormous.

• Why would the architect behind JGR’s 13 win rebound and double championship four run walk away right as the team regained its footing?
• Did the midseason tension with Ty Gibbs and the constant tug of war over the pit box signal that Gabehart simply wasn’t happy as competition director?
• Is Spire Motorsports really the team pushing hardest behind the scenes, and what does it say that Carson Hocevar himself liked the rumor as soon as it hit Twitter?
• And how much pressure does this put on JGR heading into 2026 as Toyota tries to avoid losing momentum while a rival organization loads up on top-tier talent?

This is one of the biggest talent shakeups we have seen in years, and it opens the door for a massive shift in the competitive balance. If Spire lands Gabehart, the ripple effect touches Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, McDowell, Hocevar, and potentially the entire Toyota camp. It’s the kind of move that could turn an ascending team into a contender and make life a whole lot harder for JGR next season.

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