NASCAR NEWS: Michael Jordan Has Officially announced His is departing from NASCAR and Why…..

NASCAR NEWS: Michael Jordan Has Officially announced His is departing from NASCAR and Why…..

Chris Gabehart holds a golden reputation in the Cup Series garage.

People hail him as the crew chief who knows how to find every ounce of speed, craft savvy strategies, and motivate masterfully.

In an anonymous survey conducted by The Athletic in September, Gabehart received eight votes as the crew chief they would most want to have. Cliff Daniels, 2018 Cup champion Kyle Larson’s crew chief, received the second-most votes with five.

So no wonder Denny Hamlin expressed his shock at Gibbs’ call.

Now comes the million-dollar question. After 19 years of stellar racing at NASCAR’ss top level, Denny Hamlin still cannot get ahold of that elusive Cup Series title.

Even Chris Gabehart’s pairing with him could not roll things along. So will Chris Gayle be the key to this long-rusted lock? Maybe.

Gayle holds a stellar reputation for bringing out the best from rookie drivers. Gayle and Erik Jones won two races in four seasons together, including Jones’ first career win in 2018 and the 2019 Southern 500.

In 2022, Gayle led Ty Gibbs to seven victories and the series championship before the duo moved to the Cup Series together in 2023.

But the caveat is obvious – instead of being a rookie driver, Denny Hamlin is a seasoned veteran with 54 Cup race wins and 19 years’ worth of experience.

So even though Gayle’s reputation is unquestionable, Hamlin’s championship hopes hang in the balance as they have always done.