Denny Hamlin reveals Joe Gibbs gave him 24 hours to make a critical decision that paid off massively

Denny Hamlin detailed the time when Joe Gibbs gave him a 24-hour deadline to decide on working with Chris Gayle as his new crew chief. Hamlin recalled how he was 'worried' about the move, but admitted that he ultimately placed his trust in Gibbs' judgement.

Gayle came in with two Cup wins and a strong Xfinity Series background, but Hamlin was hesitant on the switch-up this late in his career. The 44-year-old's previous crew chief, Chris Gabehart, was promoted as JGR's competition director, and the No.11 team was left without a voice atop the pitbox.

The abrupt change came a week before the official announcement, and the JGR driver had to quickly adapt to new leadership. However, 32 races and six wins later, Hamlin ranks above the rest and is the first driver through to the championship four race.

With 60 career wins under his belt, Hamlin outlined the origins of his newfound partnership with Gayle.

"At the time, I mean, Joe gave me essentially 24 hours to say yes or no to it, because Chris had another opportunity with another team in Cup. That was his option. He had an offer. He didn't want to get drug around,” he said via Motorsport.com “I mean, I was worried. Chris Gayle's résumé was not mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination. He also had a lot of young guys that he had to work with. So, I just told Joe essentially, ‘Do whatever you think is best. I trusted you in the past when we've made these kind of decisions (and) I'll trust you again,’" Denny Hamlin added.

Chris Gayle used to work with Ty Gibbs and Erik Jones. After stepping into Gabehart's role, the crew chief has proved his mettle on many occasions. For instance, Gayle guided Hamlin to a strategic win at Michigan International Speedway by executing a fuel mileage masterclass.

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Denny Hamlin's ex-crew chief is all praise for Chris Gayle

Denny Hamlin's former crew chief, Chris Gabehart, has showered praise on Chris Gayle's recent run. In an interview with Racer, Gabehart went over Gayle's rise through the ranks.

“It was so cool to hear his story of how he got started in racing from nothing. He had no idea what racing was all about, and now he’s here and gets to race for a championship in Phoenix. There is no one more deserving," he said.

Denny Hamlin now heads to Talladega Superspeedway with his title shot secured. The No.11 team has an extra week to fine-tune its setup for Phoenix Raceway. He previously finished second in his last outing at the flat track. JGR hasn't conquered the championship race in the Next Gen Era, but Gayle could very well be the key to Hamlin's long-elusive Cup Series title.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna