Denny Hamlin has reflected on his first year with new crew chief Chris Gayle, in his first interview after losing the NASCAR Cup Series championship race in agonizing style.
Hamlin, who had Gayle installed when Chris Gabehart was elevated to Joe Gibbs Racing's competition director in the off-season, was just a few miles away from his first Cup Series title at the age of 44 earlier this month.
A caution just three laps from the end wrenched the title from Hamlin's hands after he had led two thirds of the race, handing it instead to Kyle Larson for the second time in the Hendrick Motorsports driver's career.
Hamlin has admitted that he'll need some time to take in the events of Phoenix before he begins to plan when may well be his penultimate season in the sport, but hailed Gayle's progression through the year when talking to Sports Illustrated.
Hamlin: Gayle combination worked really well
"I was really proud of Chris, and how he took it as well," he admitted, of Hamlin not being keen on being forced to switch crew chiefs. "It was noted that he had options, and obviously, his first option was to stay here at Joe Gibbs Racing and work with me. I think it was – we're finally seeing what Chris Gayle is able to do as a crew chief.
"No disrespect for anyone he's ever worked with, but those are really young guys. And the difference is that I'm able to send him in a direction of where I want my car, whereas he was always having to help the young guys learn and understand what they needed out of the car. There's just a big, big difference there in how you run your team based on the driver that you have."
Noting that it may have helped Gayle to come into a team with a mightily experienced driver, Hamlin continues: "He's been able to really work on the small details and not have to worry about teaching me things here and there because I have so much experience.
"That's why this combination seemed to work really well, is that he knew that I handled all of the driver parts, and that he was able then to focus on giving me whatever I asked for and whatever direction I wanted that team to head down."
