Dale Earnhardt Jr. Brands Chris Gabehart Exit as “a Big Loss for JGR”

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shared his thoughts on Joe Gibbs Racing letting Chris Gabehart exit in the off season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Brands Chris Gabehart Exit as “a Big Loss for JGR”

Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chris Gabehart (Via IMAGO)

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The start of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season witnessed massive leadership changes at Joe Gibbs Racing, as Chris Gabehart who was then Denny Hamlin’s crew chief, was promoted to the role of competition director. It proved to be solid move, as Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Hamlin won multiple races, with the last two making it into the finale.

But in the off season, Joe Gibbs Racing made another massive change as they let Chris Gabehart leave the team, despite him being one of the main pilers of their recent success. Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed the exit alongside the Spire Motorsports move rumors on his podcast and admitted that he is shocked.

A couple other things that have happened in the sport being reported that Chris Gabehart’s uh, the director of competition at Joe Gibbs Racing has left and the rumor is, I guess, that he’s heading over to Spire. But, um, how surprised were you to hear that? I was certainly shocked…I’m pretty shocked. I mean, I think, you know, Chris has been a staple there

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said via Dale Jr. Download.

The veteran declared that the move is a massive loss to JGR and potentially a big gain to whoever signs Gabehart. What more surprising for Junior is the fact that the move came just months after he was promoted to the most important role at the team and other than Ty Gibbs everyone else performed on an elite level under him.

It’s a big loss for JGR, and it kind of makes you wonder, um, you know, what the general temperature is, I guess with when a guy like that’s going to leave the building. It appeared that he had a position, you know; he had been elevated out of the way from the crew chief position from Denny Hamlin into the director of competition, which is a very critical, important role.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. asserted.

The JR Motorsports co-owner believed that Gabehart was perfect for the most important role in the Toyota team and admitted that he is finding is hard to believe how everything went south this fast. The major mystery behind the exit is the reason, as no one knows why he was let go as its clearly not because of lack of performance.  

And I thought, man, this guy is perfect for this. Um, and they will be well they’ll be well positioned with him in that role. Um, so it’s hard to imagine how he got away or what would have been the result or the cause, I guess, of the departure.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also shocked by Nick Sanchez losing his seat

Another major move made in the off-season was Bug Machine Racing not extending the deal for Nick Sanchez to race in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. This comes despite a soli performance from the youngster in the 2025 season, scoring one win and six top-5s in his debut year in the NASCAR second division. Dale Jr. is shocked and surprised by this as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Imago)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Imago)

Another big surprise Nick Sanchez out at big machine and the it’s a surprise for one because he ran really well last year and the other surprise is the timing. like it’s late. Like it’s a tough part of the year to find out that you don’t have a job for next season or you don’t.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

He feels bad for Sanchez not just because he lost the seat, but also because of the fact the timing of it isn’t favorable for the driver if he doesn’t have a seat for 2026. It will be a massive shock if the youngster fails to land a car for next season, as he is too talented to be a part-time racer or to be sidelined.

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