Tag: Denny Hamlin

Chase Elliott posts funny reply to Denny Hamlin’s Spotify Wrapped edit

Chase Elliott posts a funny reply to Denny Hamlin’s Spotify Wrapped edit in 2024. Check out Elliott’s hilarious reply to Hamlin!

[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] posted his “Spotify Wrapped” on Wednesday afternoon for 2024, but it wasn’t the typical release. Hamlin revealed his own version of Spotify Wrapped, which had some funny twists. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had three top songs, including “Boo” by Everyone, “Zero Championships” by Hendrick Motorsports fans, and “I love your podcast,” which was heard 2,311 times.

On the “Zero Championships” edit, there is a meme of Spongebob Squarepants with a [autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] hat, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver saw the post. In fact, Elliott replied to Hamlin’s X post by saying, “Hats for sale btw” and posted a link to his website. As of now, we haven’t seen a clever reply from Hamlin.

The NASCAR season is over, but it’s nice to see Hamlin and Elliott still going back and forth on social media. It may be over Spotify Wrapped and not racing, but hey, it’s still fun! About two months remain before NASCAR returns to Florida for the 2025 Daytona 500, but the drivers are sure enjoying the time off!

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Denny Hamlin reacts to shocking news of new crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin reacts to the shocking news of his new crew crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025. What did Hamlin say about the big switch?

[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] will have a new crew chief at [autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag] for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. On Friday morning, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Chris Gabehart was promoted to Competition Director as Chris Gayle, the now former crew chief for Ty Gibbs, takes his place on top of the No. 11 pit box starting in 2025.

With NASCAR assembled in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the banquet, Hamlin was asked by Claire B. Lang, through Alan Cavanna, about the change at Joe Gibbs Racing, and he was just as shocked as everyone else when he received the news.

“I got called into another six o’clock meeting; I’m never going to [Joe Gibbs Racing] at six o’clock ever again,” Hamlin joked. “All those meetings are bad…It does [surprise me], but again, they’ve gotta do what’s best for the company. And I think that they’re looking for an improvement on performance from the No. 54. And they’re looking for an overall performance for all the teams. Because we certainly haven’t won the amount of races as an organization as we should.”

It certainly was a shocking development, as Hamlin and Gabehart have been together since 2019 with over 20 victories on the No. 11 team. At 44 years old, Hamlin must start over with Gayle, who has only guided him through select NASCAR Xfinity Series events. This is the end of an era for Hamlin, but he hopes for even more success in 2025.

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Joe Gibbs Racing makes big changes to Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team for 2025

Joe Gibbs Racing makes two big and surprising changes to Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

[autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag] shocked the NASCAR world ahead of the sport’s banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Friday morning, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that [autotag]Chris Gabehart[/autotag], the crew chief for [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] and the No. 11 team, was promoted to Competition Director. In Gabehart’s place, [autotag]Chris Gayle[/autotag], the crew chief for Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 team, will take over.

This was a shocking move, as Hamlin and Gabehart have been together since 2019. In those six years, the duo won 22 races and led 5,812 laps, making them one of the best driver-crew chief combinations over the last decade. Hamlin will now be paired with Gayle, who has two wins in 214 NASCAR Cup Series starts with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Gayle has worked eight NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Denny Hamlin, which resulted in one victory in 2016. Gibbs’ crew chief for the No. 54 car has not been determined for the 2025 NASCAR season. Joe Gibbs Racing has made major changes to Hamlin’s No. 11 team, and the 44-year-old driver hopes this doesn’t mark the end of just one era.

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Hamlin ‘shocked’ by crew chief change at JGR

Denny Hamlin did not ask for a crew chief change for his No. 11 team and didn’t see it coming when Joe Gibbs Racing made that decision. “I certainly was shocked by it,” Hamlin said Friday before the NASCAR Awards banquet. Hamlin was informed the …

Denny Hamlin did not ask for a crew chief change for his No. 11 team and didn’t see it coming when Joe Gibbs Racing made that decision.

“I certainly was shocked by it,” Hamlin said Friday before the NASCAR Awards banquet.

Hamlin was informed the week after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10 that he would have a new team leader beginning in 2025. He did not specify the day but said it was early in the week.

The news was made public earlier today that Chris Gabehart (pictured at right, above, with Hamlin) has been promoted from the crew chief role to competition director with the organization and Hamlin will work with Chris Gayle.

Hamlin joked that he would never attend a 6:00pm meeting at JGR again because it always brings bad news. This reference goes back to August, when he was informed in a meeting with Toyota that the manufacturer’s engine infraction would result in a penalty from NASCAR.

“They’ve got to do what’s best for the company,” Hamlin said. “I think they’re looking for an improvement [in] performance on the [No.] 54, and they’re looking for an overall performance for all the team because we certainly hadn’t won the amount of races as an organization that we should.”

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Ty Gibbs is winless through two seasons at the Cup Series level. He earned his first postseason berth in 2024 and finished 15th in the standings.

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers combined for six victories. However, those victories came from Christopher Bell (three) and Hamlin (three). Martin Truex Jr. was winless in his final season as a full-time driver.

The organization went winless through the final 18 races of the season.

Hamlin and Gabehart won 22 races together in their six seasons together, including two triumphs in the Daytona 500 and the Southern 500. The team also qualified for a Championship 4 berth in three consecutive seasons, 2019-21. An eighth-place finish in the 2024 championship standings was the only time the duo did not end the year in the top five.

“I’m certainly very grateful for everything that he helped build with the [No.] 11 car and the success that we had,” Hamlin said. “I’m happy for him and his promotion. I’m happy for JGR and hopefully what it will bring to everyone else.”

Gayle moves to the No. 11 team from the No. 54 crew. He was paired with Ty Gibbs for the last two Cup Series seasons but has worked with Hamlin before in the Xfinity Series. During his tenure in that garage, Gayle worked with various Gibbs drivers, with Hamlin driving one of his race cars in eight races between 2015 and 2021. They won once together, but Hamlin doesn’t know Gayle that well.

“But anytime JGR has an employee for 20 years, they believe in him,” Hamlin said. “He probably knows me more than I know him, truthfully. The teams obviously all work together very closely, and when we debrief every Monday, and I’m giving advice on where we should steer the ship, he’s taking notes. So, I think it probably will bear quicker results than if I had to start over with someone younger and fresher.”

Gayle will be the sixth crew chief Hamlin has worked with in his career, which goes into its 20th season in 2025. Hamlin won races with each of his previous five crew chiefs; the most wins came in his pairing with Gabehart.

“I’m motivated,” Hamlin said of the future. “I’m certainly motivated at this point. It’s just human nature. When [Bill] Belichick and [Tom] Brady split, it was like, ‘Well, who was it? Was it him? Or was it you?’ So, I think you’re always going to have that motivation of wanting to show it was you.”

Hamlin, Gibbs to have new crew chiefs in 2025

Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs will both be working with a new crew chief beginning with the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, after Joe Gibbs Racing announced several personnel moves Friday. Chris Gabehart, who had worked with Hamlin on the No. 11 team for …

Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs will both be working with a new crew chief beginning with the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, after Joe Gibbs Racing announced several personnel moves Friday.

Chris Gabehart, who had worked with Hamlin on the No. 11 team for the last six seasons, has been named competition director. Gabehart and Hamlin won 22 races together, including two in the Daytona 500. The duo also made three consecutive appearances in the Championship 4.

“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 toward making 2025 one of the best seasons Joe Gibbs Racing has ever had.”

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Chris Gayle will assume the role of Hamlin’s crew chief. Gayle had been paired with Ty Gibbs on the No. 54 team the last two seasons.

“Denny is obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” said Gayle. “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.”

Gayle led the Xfinity Series program at Joe Gibbs Racing to 10 wins with four different drivers in 2021. He and Gibbs won the series of championships the following year before moving into the Cup Series together in 2023. The duo earned a spot in the Cup Series postseason for the first time in 2024 and finished 15th in the standings.

The new crew chief for Gibbs has not yet been announced.

“We have a lot of pride in the depth of talent we have throughout our organization,” said Joe Gibbs. “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 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.”

FedEx won’t return as sponsor for Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025

FedEx won’t return as a sponsor for Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025, ending a 19-year run on the No. 11 car.

[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag]’s long journey with [autotag]FedEx[/autotag] has concluded at the end of the 2024 NASCAR season. Ahead of the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Hamlin posted a “thank you” video to FedEx on social media. Then, the driver of the No. 11 car confirmed after the race at Phoenix that FedEx will not return as a sponsor in 2025.

This marks another sponsorship loss for [autotag]Joe Gibbs Racing[/autotag], which saw Mars leave Kyle Busch after the 2022 NASCAR season. FedEx has been with Hamlin for 19 years and has been a steady, full-season sponsor throughout his career. However, the company’s presence on the No. 11 car has dwindled over the last few years, with 2024 being the most noticeable.

Now, FedEx won’t be on Hamlin’s race car moving forward, but it doesn’t mean the relationship between the two sides will come to an end. For now, Joe Gibbs Racing must focus on acquiring more sponsorship for Hamlin and the No. 11 car in 2025. The race at Phoenix marked the end of an era for Hamlin, but it will also be a new beginning for other companies.

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Hamlin says it’s ‘TBD’ if 23XI Racing competes in Cup next season

Denny Hamlin acknowledged for the first time Friday it is “TBD” if 23XI Racing will compete in 2025. The reaction comes a day after 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were denied their preliminary injunction request. As the only two teams who …

Denny Hamlin acknowledged for the first time Friday it is “TBD” if 23XI Racing will compete in 2025.

The reaction comes a day after 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were denied their preliminary injunction request. As the only two teams who have not signed the 2025 charter agreement, not only has a lawsuit been brought against NASCAR on antitrust claims, the two organizations want to race as charter teams next season while pursuing litigation.

A charter team is guaranteed a spot in each race and a portion of the prize money; open teams receive significantly less.

“I think it’s all TBD,” Hamlin said of the Nos. 23 and 45 teams running The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in February and the season-opening Daytona 500. “There are certain agreements we’re going to have to navigate, so I hope so.”

Although the injunction was denied, as it was determined the teams only complained of speculative harm, 23XI Racing indicated it will appeal the ruling. Additionally, U.S. District Court Judge Frank Whitney said the team could file a renewed motion if circumstances change.

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“We were obviously pleased with the ruling that the judge sees merit in [the] case,” Hamlin said. “He’s going to move forward to expedite it [and] expedite the discovery side of it, which is a reverse from what he had before. Obviously [this could give us] an opportunity to refile once the situation changes, because he knows that things will change over the next few months.

“He understands the complexity of it and obviously understands that the situation is fluid, and we obviously could see some pretty bad harm coming up.”

A two-car team since 2022, the plan is to expand to three full-time entries beginning next season. 23XI Racing is one of the teams that is in the market to buy a charter for sale from Stewart-Haas Racing, which is closing its doors. Gene Haas kept one charter for the rebranded Haas Factory Team, but the other three are headed elsewhere.

NASCAR approves all charter sales, but it is unclear what NASCAR will decide about the charter if 23XI Racing cannot purchase it.

Hamlin also admitted he does not “have any indication of [what happens to] it. I don’t.”

Denny Hamlin gives his verdict on NASCAR’s decisions at Martinsville in 2024

Denny Hamlin gives his verdict on NASCAR’s decisions at Martinsville in 2024. Does Hamlin believe NASCAR made the right decisions?

[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] might not be fighting for a NASCAR Cup Series driver’s championship, but there is still more to look forward to after Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin has Tyler Reddick, the driver of the No. 45 car at 23XI Racing, fighting for a title at Phoenix Raceway. However, he also could have seen his teammate Christopher Bell battling as well.

NASCAR determined that Bell committed a “safety violation” by riding the wall in the final moments of the Cup Series race at Martinsville, knocking him out of the Championship 4. Hamlin went on his podcast, Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, and revealed his verdict on NASCAR’s decision to knock out his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.

“In the end, I think [NASCAR] made the right call,” Hamlin said. “I don’t like it, but they wanted to avoid us wall-riding on last laps to either gain or defend positions. [Christopher Bell] didn’t have to do it. I think there was probably a little bit of panic in the moment because he just shipped it into Turn 3 to try to get past the [Bubba Wallace] in a panic because the No. 23 has issues or is falling back the last few laps. He sees him, he catches him quickly, he knows he needs his spot.”

“So, he drives in there really deep, washes, gets out of control, gets in the marbles…and then CBell hits the wall. And in a panic situation there, he just guns it and tries to get to the line as quick as he can, where I think he would have been fine if he just glanced off of it and pulled it down. It was not going to be easy to pull down. He would have had to have stopped or come close it, and then accelerate off the corner, but I think it was the continuous wall contact that they deemed inappropriate.”

Bell’s decision to ride the wall ultimately cost him a shot at competing for a Cup Series title, but it didn’t come without other controversy surrounding race manipulation with Chevrolet and Toyota. NASCAR could do the unthinkable and change the Championship 4 if they felt it was necessary, but Hamlin won’t be able to gain from such a decision. He will rely on Reddick to bring him a championship as an owner.

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Practice crash puts Hamlin in ‘must win’ mindset at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin switched to a must-win mentality after crashing in practice Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, knowing he’ll have to come from the rear of the field in the final elimination race of the playoffs. Hamlin spun and significantly damaged …

Denny Hamlin switched to a must-win mentality after crashing in practice Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, knowing he’ll have to come from the rear of the field in the final elimination race of the playoffs.

Hamlin spun and significantly damaged the rear of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota when the throttle hung going into Turn 3. It happened about halfway through the 45-minute session after he had, at the time, set the quickest lap. He wound up third overall when the session was completed.

The five-time Martinsville winner said his car was doing everything it needed to do before the crash. He was caught off guard when the car didn’t slow down on its 33rd lap.

“We just got unlucky,” Hamlin said.

A piece of rubber was the culprit that led to the hung throttle.

“[They] sent me a picture and there was a large chunk right in the throttle body that was still sitting there when we pulled in here,” Hamlin said. “I’ve had throttles stick before but never hang all the way wide open. But looking at the way the rubber was in there, the throttle had no chance to come backward.”

Hamlin put his reactions to the test trying to keep from going front-end first into the wall, hitting the pedals as hard as possible and whipping the wheel to the left.

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The No. 11 will not make a qualifying attempt for Sunday’s race as the team repairs the car. Once the damaged car was brought back to the garage, crew chief Chris Gabehart and his team took off the body panels before rolling it through the inspection stations to check on chassis measurements.

The team determined it was repairable and will spend Saturday making it race-ready. Hamlin will start at the rear of the field and the team will not have an ideal pit stall selection.

“It’s hard to win these races straight up, and even if you had the pole, it’s hard to win,” Hamlin said. “Our battle is going to be very much uphill. … Certainly, the chances of getting in on points now are done. We just have to figure out a way to win the race.”

The good news is, Hamlin felt the softer tire was an improvement over what was run at Martinsville in the past. Given that, he’s optimistic that, with a good handling car, a driver can make their way through the field if the race goes green long enough.

He enters Sunday’s race 18 points out of a transfer spot.

“That will be the short-term goal — try to find a way to put some cars between us and the leaders to stay on the lead lap,” Hamlin said. “It will be difficult to do that, but we’ll give it our best shot. We’re not going to give up.”

Hamlin, Gabehart channeling experience for Martinsville clock

In the closing minutes of his latest podcast episode, Denny Hamlin was given a statistic that made him hang his head. Sunday, Nov. 3 will mark 3,507 days since he last won at Martinsville Speedway. For that highlight, the calendar would need to be …

In the closing minutes of his latest podcast episode, Denny Hamlin was given a statistic that made him hang his head.

Sunday, Nov. 3 will mark 3,507 days since he last won at Martinsville Speedway. For that highlight, the calendar would need to be flipped back to March 29, 2015. This Sunday, he’ll take the green flag there with his season hanging in the balance.

“Do y’all realize how many races we’ve dominated, and it’s always the fall race?” Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental. “We dominate the fall races. We led a bazillion laps and had a bad pit stop in 2021 [while] leading the race, came out eighth with not many laps to go.

“We’ve always had something keep us from winning there, and me and Chris [Gabehart] just want to win at Martinsville. Like [expletive] all the final four and all that, that’s great, but we just want to win there. That’s such a great racetrack and a track that I take a lot of pride in, and man, I want to win it bad.”

Should the pendulum finally swing in their direction, the elusive victory would put Hamlin in the championship hunt. Sunday will be the duo’s 12th race together at Martinsville Speedway since they paired together in 2019.

“I’ve chosen not to look up how many laps we’ve led at this track without actually getting a win together, but I think it’s probably close to some sort of record for a crew chief,” Gabehart said. “I would love to finally get it done. Winning at Martinsville is a huge event, in my mind, especially as a short tracker, and the fall race being the cutoff race of the playoffs on top of it. It’s a special one. It would be great to get it done, for sure.”

In the last 11 races at Martinsville, Hamlin led 912 laps, won a pole, and finished in the top five six times. In the fall race alone, he’s led 534 laps.

A victory is the easiest way to advance, but Gabehart acknowledged points are not out of the equation. Hamlin is in an 18-point deficit, so the first two stages will set the tone for how the team attacks the final stint.

It’s almost ironic that it comes down to Martinsville once again. A week ago, Hamlin was two laps from winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but Ryan Blaney and then Tyler Reddick had other plans. It was one of the most disappointing defeats for the team.

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The finish aside, Homestead was another high and then low moment for the group. There have been plenty of those in the postseason, which started with an engine issue in qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway and carried over into the race with an ill-handling car and poor execution. There have been pit road woes, incidents on the track, and results all across the board.

“I was telling someone earlier, it’s pretty wild,” Gabehart said. “I looked at a stat earlier and through the first eight races, I think we have the third-best average finish of anybody in the playoffs and are pretty high up there overall because of the variance of the schedule. But it sure doesn’t feel that way, and where it really doesn’t feel that way is if you look at stage points. We have very little compared to those in the playoffs, which speaks to your point about having to scratch and claw throughout the entire race just to manufacture a finish. Well, those stage points, if you’re upfront all day, you get them.

“So it’s been a grind. But what’s got us here, in my mind, is the experience of the group — the experience of Denny, the experience of myself, the experience of [spotter Chris] Lambert, the trust in one another to know the situation and know that until that last checkered flag drops, the day is not over and I think we’ve been able to preserve a lot because of that. We did catch a break at Talladega that was pivotal to our year, but we’ve also not caught a lot of breaks at places like Talladega, so that happens. I don’t look at that as luck. I look at that as finally our number came up. But it’s a lot throughout this playoff for sure.”

The team needs to be ready for their moment to change the narrative of their playoffs and at Martinsville. Gabehart pointed out they were not ready at Kansas Speedway when they struggled on pit road when capable of winning. The circumstances then dictated not taking more risks than necessary at Bristol Motor Speedway to advance out of the first round. Homestead just didn’t fall their way.

“The key with this level of experience, and this group, is understanding that you need to be there to be able to capitalize on the situation whenever that caution flag falls your way, or whenever you have a fast car, or whenever the car comes down pit road,” Gabehart said. “I think [having that] experience helps a lot.”