What’s Happening?

Chris Gabehart, the now former Competition Director and long-time Crew Chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, has departed the team under unknown circumstances.

• Per Jenna Fryer of AP Sports, Gabehart, for a currently unknown reason, will not return to his role as Competition Director or Joe Gibbs Racing in 2026. This move will mark the end of his long tenure at JGR, which saw him serve as a Crew Chief in NASCAR’s two highest divisions from 2016 to 2024.
• Gabehart got his start in the then-NASCAR Xfinity Series with JGR and driver Erik Jones in 2016. But, he made his name in the sport as Crew Chief for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 starting in 2019 after he took over for Michael Wheeler.
• Together, the two would win 22 races and win back-to-back Daytona 500s in 2019 and 2020 (making Hamlin, at the time, the first to do so since Sterling Marlin in 1994 and 1995). Most impressive of all, the Gabehart and Hamlin combo made the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Championship Four three times, though the duo never won a championship.
• Notably, this pairing came to an end last season, with a reshuffling at JGR that moved Gabehart to the role of Competition Director with Ty Gibbs’ then Crew Chief Chris Gayle moving to the No. 11. While Tyler Allen was the official Crew Chief of Gibbs’ No. 54 in 2025, it is widely known that Gabehart assisted the team for a portion of the season.
• At press time, many rumors suggest Gabehart is headed to Spire Motorsports, though neither he nor the team has yet to announce such plans.

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