Denny Hamlin finished behind all the other three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas in last Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at the Phoenix Raceway. However, the #11 driver qualified at P1 above teammate Ty Gibbs. He led 68 laps and was running at decent speeds consistently in the top 10 when a spin-out in Stage 3 due to battles with Tyler Reddick caused a caution, resulting in Hamlin having to make a late-race surge from the back of the pack on the final restart.

Nevertheless, it was his crew chief Chris Gabeheart, a two-time Daytona 500 winner with the #11 team who guided the JGR veteran to a commendable P11 finish. This drew a lot of attention. Most notably from 2014 Cup Series champion and the newest member of FOX’s broadcast team for NASCAR in 2024 – Kevin Harvick.

Kevin Harvick Sheds Light on Denny Hamlin’s Crew Chief and Motivations

Hamlin’s Stage 3 troubles seemed to have ruined his hopes of a Phoenix victory in the Cup Series. Gabeheart, on the other hand, had different plans for the #11 team. The display of leadership within Hamlin’s crew and Joe Gibbs Racing was visible when Gabeheart told the #11 driver over the radio: “Okay Well Shit happens. We didn’t hit anything. We’re going to learn how to pass some cars at Phoenix.”

Hamlin took all the motivation he needed from the crew chief’s words and showed incredible resilience to finish the Phoenix race just outside the top 10. This is even more commendable considering the new debate on the “short-track package” on display at Phoenix.

This led Kevin Harvick to credit the #11 team and its crew chief on air, as he stated to broadcast partner Clint Bowyer and millions of fans worldwide, “I listened to Chris Gabeheart and he’s one of those crew chiefs just… He’s got that dog in him”

Harvick’s wordplay, describing the #11 team’s collective effort, was brought up one more time in his newest segment for FOX, “Happy Hour” by his co-hosts Mamba Smith as well as Kaitlyn Vince. The former Stewart-Haas driver reiterated his statements one more time while discussing the Phoenix race, stating, “Chris Gabehart does have that dog in him.” 

Chris Gabehart: Meet Denny Hamlin’s crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing

“That Dog” is Integral to the #11 Team

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To be fair, the entire JGR contingent was almost unstoppable at the 1-mile racetrack. This could be attributed to Toyota as well as Coach Gibbs’ organization’s stellar display throughout Phoenix’s first race week of the season. In the ARCA race, it was William Sawalich who drove the #19 Toyota Supra for JGR to victory lane. Chandler Smith picked up his seventh career victory in a NASCAR National Series, securing P1 in the Phoenix Xfinity race. Christopher Bell rounded that off with his own 7th career Cup series win, in a race that saw all his other JGR teammates finish in the top 10 except for Denny Hamlin.

Regardless, Hamlin was one of the fastest cars in practice. His strong speeds all afternoon, as well as his hard-fought P11 finish, was a perfect display of the countless miles registered under a two-decade veteran’s helmet. His crew chief, Gabeheart, has been the perfect eagle’s eye watching the #11 Toyota for the past 5 years. They make a commendable team as he led Hamlin to break his 47-race consecutive winless streak at the 2019 season opener.

Officially, Hamlin’s last victory came at the Bristol Motor Speedway in 2023 where he won the night race in September. With the half-mile speedway emerging as next in line, Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart, and the #11 team will be looking to follow up.

“S**T Happens”: Denny Hamlin’s Veteran Crew Chief Masterfully Salvaged Pride Despite Unfortunate Phoenix Struggles