Report: Chris Gabehart leaves Joe Gibbs Racing in surprise exit

After days of rumors swirling around the NASCAR world, the Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press was able to confirm that Chris Gabehart has left Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday. 

Joe Gibbs Racing has made no statement regarding Gabehart's departure as of the writing of this story, nor has Gabehart spoken publicly on it. He is likely to continue working in the sport for another organization in 2026, but no destination has been officially announced.

Gabehart spent several years as crew chief for Denny Hamlin, winning 22 races between 2019 and 2024. Together, they won back-to-back Daytona 500s in 2019 and 2020, and never placed lower than eighth in the championship standings. 

This past year, the 44-year-old moved off the pit box and into the role of Director of Competition for JGR. This came as a surprise to Hamlin, who was paired with Chris Gayle as his new crew chief. They nearly won the title in their first year together, ending 2025 as the championship runner-ups.

While running the competition side of things for JGR, Gabehart was also working closely with Ty Gibbs, grandson of team founder Joe Gibbs, in an effort to help the young driver find better results on-track. Gibbs won the 2022 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts title, but since moving up to Cup, he has yet to reach Victory Lane.