The relationship between a driver and his crew chief is very crucial to getting fantastic results. And nobody understands this more than Kevin Harvick. While talking about Denny Hamlin’s recent performance, Harvick also took a dig at Hamlin's former crew chief, Chris Gabehart. 

Gabehart parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2025 season. However, he was soon hit with a lawsuit by his former employer for allegedly stealing confidential information from the team and sharing it with Spire Motorsports, the new team he joined as Chief Motorsports Officer. The trial in the $8 million lawsuit is set to take place in January 2027.

While talking about the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s recent performance on his "Happy Hour" podcast, Kevin Harvick compared Hamlin’s performance with his current crew chief, Chris Gayle, to that of when he worked with Gabehart.

"I think that the 11 team is better than they were when Gabehart was there," said Harvick. "They're better now than they were three years ago, two years ago, which is saying something."

He further added how good chemistry between the driver and his crew chief is important, and it is evident in Hamlin's results over the past two years.

"And a lot of times when you get into that, that chemistry and all the things that happen, and it's just like everything works. You don't want to lose that because you don't get that very often in your career. Denny's been through a few crew chiefs, and I think with Chris Gayle and everything that they're doing right now, it's clicking," Harvick added.

Denny Hamlin’s performance this season has been tremendous. The three-time Daytona 500 winner wrapped up the 2025 Cup Series season in second place, with six wins, 14 top fives, and five pole positions.

Whereas, halfway through the 2026 regular season, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver already has three wins, eight top fives, and three pole positions.

Harvick's assessment of Chris Gabehart’s time with Denny Hamlin has added another layer to the conversation surrounding the No. 11’s recent success. It will be interesting to see if the team can keep up with the performance in the races to come.

Kevin Harvick Picks a 23XI Driver to Win at Pocono

Kevin Harvick has been on a winning streak of picking the correct driver to win the NASCAR Cup Series race each weekend. The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion has picked four of the last five race winners correctly.

For Pocono this weekend, co-host Kaitlyn Vincie picked Denny Hamlin, considering he is on a win streak. Whereas other co-host Mamba Smith picked Ryan Blaney, who has been having a tough season plagued by pit stop issues.

In the aforementioned podcast, Harvick predicted victory for 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace. 

"I think I’m going to pick Bubba Wallace. I just think he had a lot better attitude this week, had a good finish, got a little momentum, he’s run well there." 

Last weekend at Michigan, Bubba Wallace finished in third place after a streak of bad races. Will Harvick get his pick right again? 

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak