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Dale Earnhardt Jr. once raised his concern about NASCAR’s transparency and communication following Denny Hamlin’s serious health scare in the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series season at Auto Club Speedway.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Hamlin missed the 2014 Auto Club 400. Just before the race, it was determined that Hamlin had a sinus infection that affected his vision. However, there had not been much information regarding Hamlin not being cleared to race at Auto Club Speedway.
In 2014, during an appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. questioned why there had been no official NASCAR statement or further explanation from Hamlin on what happened in the last two days regarding that incident.
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Voicing his concern about Hamlin’s health update, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said (via ESPN):
“I'm worried the perception is bad for NASCAR and the perception is bad for Denny. If Denny didn't race because his vision is blurred and he had a sinus infection, NASCAR should put out a release and say, This is the timeline of the events and this is why we made this choice and this is the protocol for going forward.'
“That answers everybody's questions. Don't you have questions? I have questions. We shouldn't have questions. We should all feel pretty comfortable with what happened.”
Three days after the Auto Club race, Joe Gibbs Racing revealed that the infection was caused by a piece of metal that was found in Hamlin’s eye. After a couple of checkups, Hamlin was cleared to race next weekend at Martinsville Speedway. In his comeback race, he finished 19th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Denny Hamlin’s crew chief change for the 2025 season
Last month, JGR promoted veteran crew chief Chris Gabehart, who had worked with Hamlin since 2019, to competition director at the organization. Chris Gayle was named Hamlin and #11 team’s crew chief for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was shocked by Hamlin’s crew chief change. He shared his thoughts on JGR’s silly season move during his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast. Here’s what the two-time NASCAR Xfinity champion said:
“I guess the Gabehart, Denny Hamlin change was a big surprise. They seemed really in sync, bonded, in sync. Denny is in a really good position to compete for championships this year. (2024) 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.”
“And so, for them to mash the pause button on that and make a complete change, a shift in a whole different direction, was really a surprise. But I guess the idea is there; the future for Joe Gibbs Racing is the most important thing, and this strengthens that.”
Hamlin and his #11 JGR team will return in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season on February 16, with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 2:30 pm ET.
