Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Chris Gabehart moving on from Denny Hamlin was the biggest surprise of NASCAR Silly Season

There have been several notable moves during NASCAR Silly Season, but the one move that caught Dale Earnhardt Jr. off guard was Chris Gabehart moving on as crew chief of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team and Denny Hamlin.

JGR named Gabehart, Hamlin’s crew chief for the last six seasons, competition director. Chris Gayle, who previously sat atop the pit box for teammate Ty Gibbs, will serve as Hamlin’s crew chief next season. Earnhardt called it a “big surprise,” though one that could benefit the entirety of JGR moving forward.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on surprising news of Chris Gabehart-Denny Hamlin partnership coming to an end

“I guess the Gabehart-Denny Hamlin change was a big surprise,” Earnhardt said on Monday’s “Dale Jr. Download” podcast. “They seemed really bonded and in sync. Denny is in a really good position to compete for championships. This year wasn’t one of those years where we felt like he was a contender for the title, but it’s been pretty much every year he’s been one of the guys we thought could have a shot at it. And so, for them to mash the pause button on that and make a complete change and shift in a whole different direction was really a surprise. But I guess the idea is the future for Joe Gibbs Racing is the most important thing and this strengthens that.

“Gabehart is the kind of guy that in my eyes, he’s so incredibly talented and good at what he does, and it’s because he puts everything he has into it. The details, the prep, the work and guys that are that devoted to it, when they say it’s time for me to do something different, it’s really time. I guess his work ethic and attention to detail will serve Joe Gibbs Racing in this new role and capacity and I think he’ll absolutely be a massive asset to them going forward.

“While it’s maybe not the best thing for Denny or the 11 team, they’ll be in great hands and Denny will probably be very competitive and it’s not the end of the road for him. It was surprising because I thought Denny might have one or two more years and then he might say I’m done.”

Denny Hamlin reacts to surprising crew chief change after Chris Gabehart Joe Gibbs Racing promotion

Hamlin and Gabehart were a highly successful partnership, winning 22 races together in six seasons. That tied Kyle Larson/Cliff Daniels for the most wins among Cup Series driver/crew chief duos in that span. Hamlin qualified for the Championship 4 three times and finished fifth or better in points in five of six seasons with Gabehart.

Hamlin himself admitted to having no warning ahead of time that a change was imminent.

“It does, 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 54,” Denny Hamlin said Friday. “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.”