One race weekend is now a federal court exhibit. Chris Gabehart spent six seasons atop Denny Hamlin’s pit box before walking away from Joe Gibbs Racing in late 2025, and the fallout has been playing out in court ever since. What began as a dispute over one man’s career move is now a fight over whether a race team’s setup know-how can be traced from one garage to another. Spire Motorsports, the team on the receiving end of the accusations, has plenty to say about it.

“In short, JGR’s expert cherry-picks two data points, ignores all of this obvious, readily available data showing that Spire’s road course setup package steadily evolved over the course of a year without any input from Gabehart, ignores all other variables, and jumps to the impossible conclusion that Gabehart had all of Spire’s setups changed in the dark of night before COTA in violation of NASCAR rules while the car was impounded. That is ridiculous,” Spire Motorsports claimed according to the documents released by Bob Pockrass on his X account. 

The criticism goes beyond individual setup measurements. Spire is questioning the credibility of the expert testimony JGR has leaned on, arguing the analysis ignores relevant data and reaches conclusions the evidence cannot support.

Setup data gives teams a competitive edge by helping them optimize handling and performance, making Gabehart’s knowledge of JGR’s methods potentially valuable.

The dispute traces back to February, when JGR sued Gabehart in the Western District of North Carolina, alleging he took confidential information, including car setups, before leaving. JGR later added Spire as a defendant after the team hired him as chief motorsports officer. 

Chris Gabehart has acknowledged photographing some data and creating a folder labeled “Spire,” but says he did so to evaluate the move, and he denies sharing it. A temporary restraining order in March barred him from performing similar duties at Spire.

The stakes have grown considerably since. A Spire Motorsport filing on October 20 said JGR is now seeking nearly $150 million in damages, up from the $8 million originally sought, with JGR’s damages expert valuing the alleged trade secrets at $47.4 million. 

Spire and Gabehart deny the allegations and point to forensic reviews they say found no evidence that data was transferred or used. A trial is set for February 1.

Spire Motorsports challenges JGR’s evidence

At the heart of the COTA argument is whether similarities and changes between the teams’ setups prove JGR’s information was used. JGR has relied on setup comparisons to make that case, while Spire argues those figures cannot be judged in isolation.

A major point of contention is the front-left spring rate, which JGR reportedly describes as a significant year-over-year change. Spire counters that its road-course package evolved steadily over a year rather than being altered ahead of COTA, and it rejects the idea that Gabehart orchestrated changes while the car was impounded under NASCAR’s rules.

Spire also challenges JGR’s description of the spring-rate difference as evidence of a shift in setup philosophy, pointing to the range of settings JGR and 23XI Racing used at COTA in 2025. The filing states:

“Notably, while JGR characterizes a year-over-year change to front left spring rates as a “significant change,” JGR omits that its own cars (JGR and 23XI) had a range of in front left spring rates at COTA in 2025 alone. Dkt. 292-4 at 17.”

“That is, what JGR calls a “significant change” and what its expert calls a “significant change in setup philosophy” is the same front left spring rate range JGR applied to its own racecars in a single race.”

Spire contends that if JGR and 23XI ran that same range of settings in a single race, the difference JGR cites needs far more context before it can prove confidential information changed hands.

JGR has pointed to deposition testimony from Spire crew chief Travis Peterson that Gabehart gave him tire-pressure information and a numerical range for spring settings previously used at JGR.

Spire has said those conversations did not involve protected trade secrets and has questioned whether some of that information belongs to Toyota rather than JGR.

The COTA rebuttal fits a pattern in Spire’s defense. In earlier filings, the team said discovery had produced no evidence that Gabehart transmitted JGR’s files to Spire, and it has portrayed the suit as a personal campaign against him, while JGR maintains Gabehart used the same analysis processes at Spire that he used at JGR. 

Spire also says JGR’s experts will examine 99 setups Spire has used for its three Chevrolets in 2026 for signs of misappropriated “setup philosophies” from JGR’s 2025 Toyotas.

Judge Rodriguez kept the trial date intact despite a dispute over the pretrial schedule. Expert discovery must wrap by November 2, summary judgment motions are due November 9, and a hearing on expert reliability, known as a Daubert hearing, is set for the second week of December.

The competing statements remain allegations and arguments rather than findings of wrongdoing. With the experts now at the center of the fight, the court will have to weigh whose reading of the COTA numbers holds up. A ruling on the reliability of JGR experts could shape how much of that evidence survives to trial.