It seems to be like a monkey-see, monkey-do situation at Joe Gibbs Racing. Last week, Joe Gibbs kept things deliberately vague when asked about Chris Gabehart’s exit, pressing past the topic without offering much. Now, as the lawsuit involving the former competition director intensifies, the same tight-lipped stance appears to be spreading through the garage. And the latest to fall in line is Christopher Bell, who offered little more than a carefully measured response as the legal drama continues to unfold.

Ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Echo Park Speedway in Atlanta, Bell was asked about his relation with Gabehart, and the No.20 driver’s answer was short and crisp.

“Yeah, I mean, I had a great relationship with him. I have nothing to speak on as far as what’s going on,” he said. “That’s way, way above my head. Yeah, way above my head.”

And that good relationship is evident in Bell’s praise last year. Just as Gabehart made the shift from Denny Hamlin’s crew chief to JGR’s competition director, Bell did not shy away from talking about the impact this shift had.

Since the responsibility shifted from overseeing one team to two or four, the No. 20 driver was confident about Gabehart’s involvement. Also noting he had multiple conversations with the ex-JGR employee about improving his own performance on track, and that those takeaways were extremely successful.

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“He’s been really involved, and I have talked to him a lot… I am excited about him in his new role because I think he really can specifically help the No. 20 car and overall help the company go where all four of our cars are performing better,” he told FOX Sports early in 2025.

But now, with the ongoing JGR lawsuit against Gabehart heating up, the tight-lippedness is justified. The organization has filed a federal lawsuit against its ex-employee, alleging he engaged in a brazen scheme to take confidential team data before leaving the organization and bring it to the rival.

According to the complaint, investigators found sensitive files, including race setup information, payroll and contract details, sponsor revenue figures, pit crew analytics, and tire data, stored on a personal Google Drive linked to Gabehart’s JGR laptop.

The team also claims that Gabehart conducted online searches about Spire Motorsports while still employed and retained internal documents even after separation negotiations began.

The team is seeking more than $8 million in damages and other relief in federal court. However, there’s always a twist in the story, and the rumors about Gabehart’s involvement with Spire Motorsports have just been confirmed, and this could change the lawsuit for sure

Spire Motorsports confirms Gabehart’s role amid lawsuit fire

Spire Motorsports made it official on Saturday, sealing the deal with Chris Gabehart. The former JGR Competition Director is joining the team as its new Chief Motorsports Officer, a senior role overseeing multiple competition programs.

But the move comes with baggage. This, in turn, could tip the scales in JGR’s favor, who alleged that Gabehart accessed and synced team data to personal devices while negotiating with Spire Motorsports. However, the former JGR employee has strongly denied the claims, saying he will formally respond in court before the deadline.

“I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate to the Court that I have not shared JGR’s confidential information with anyone. In fact, I have already demonstrated that to JGR. A third-party forensic expert retained by JGR recently examined my laptop, cell phone, and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit,” he said.

Additionally, three attorneys, Cary B. Davis, Anna Claire Tucker, and Spencer T. Wiles, have already entered appearances on his behalf. Beyond the immediate dispute, the case could shape how much competitive information senior executives are allowed to retain when moving between teams in NASCAR’s data-driven, spec-car landscape.