Chris Gabehart confesses he and Denny Hamlin are “disappointed” with the unexpected JGR promotion
Joe Gibbs Racing computation director Chris Gabehart has shared his verdict on getting replaced as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief.
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Denny Hamlin and Chris Gabehart (Via IMAGO)
Senior NASCAR crew chief Chris Gabehart was one of the best things ever to happen for Denny Hamlin in his racing career. When the former joined the No:11 team six years ago, they were expercing a performance slump, with Hamlin struggling to maximize on the cars speed. But they duo clicked instantly and all the years they were together, the three times Daytona 500 winner was a championship contender.
But Denny Hamlin received the tough announcement in the silly season that Joe Gibbs Racing has decided to replace Chris Gabehart. He was promoted to the role of the competition director of the team, with the goal of helping the whole team to thrive in the off-season. Recently he talked about the decision and admitted that he and Hamlin are disappointed with the hard decision.
@CG1751 candidly answers question by @AlanCavanna on @SiriusXMNASCAR about whether or not his relationship with @dennyhamlin has been hurt since move. pic.twitter.com/w8ZeKHkMBS
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) December 6, 2024
Is he disappointed? Sure. Am I disappointed? Sure. We don’t live in a vacuum where every decision is 100 % good and 0% not; this is hard stuff.
Chris Gabehart said via SiriusXM NASCAR radio.
He admitted that though he knows it is for the better of the team nothing is easy accept at the moment. But he knows this hard decision is necessary to make the 20-year career of Hamlin a success.
Nothing about it’s easy, but the reality is, as professionals, we know that what we’re trying to do is make Joe Gibbs Racing better. And it’s these types of decisions that have given Denny a 20-year successful career at this company.
Chris Gabehart added.
Chris Gabehart believes Denny Hamlin understands the decision from JGR
While further talking about the point, Gebhart admitted that he feels Hamlin would understand the reasoning behind the JGR decision and asserted that eh understand it well. He believes his promotion would be vital in making sure the whole JGR garage can perform well in the 2025 season.
These things aren’t easy; there’s never an absolute. This one is no different. So, I think he understands that, and certainly I understand that. It’s a decision that we chose to make for the betterment of the company. Like I said, I’m confident he’s going to have everything he needs to succeed next year.
Chris Gabehart said.
The comments from Chris Gabehart shows the amount respect and admiration the duo got for themselves. It would be interesting to see how Hamlin would perform under new crew chief Chris Gayle in the 2025 season.
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Justin P Joy
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