Barely two months after one lawsuit was settled, another one has arrived in NASCAR. The dimensions of it seem pretty big at first glance, as Joe Gibbs Racing accused Chris Gabehart of information theft. Denny Hamlin’s ex-crew chief officially left JGR in December 2025 and is now gearing up for his next role. But his new team, Spire Motorsports, could settle the $8 million JGR lawsuit with a flick of its financial wand, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes.

An easy way out of the JGR lawsuit

“If there is truth that some information was shared illegally, who’s liable? It is Spire, is it Gabehart?” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast about the JGR lawsuit. But he also added, “I think, in the end, this settles, and nothing changes. I bet the money guy at Spire says, You know what? Make this go away, let’s move on. We’ll never really know the truth.”

On 20th February, the 30-page JGR lawsuit was released. Among the allegations were Chris Gabehart‘s dissatisfaction with his role as JGR’s competition director. But as both sides began to prepare for a separation, Gabehart took the team’s “confidential information and trade secrets.” According to a forensic analysis of his devices, Gabehart had folders on his computer titled ‘Spire’ and ‘Past Setups.’

However, Gabehart refuted the JGR lawsuit’s claims, and is gearing up for a legal response. What’s more, he has Spire Motorsports’ backing as well, as the team has already confirmed him as Chief Motorsports Officer.

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The Jeff Dickerson-owned team has a history of massive purchases. For instance, it bought a $40 million charter in 2023 and Kyle Busch’s Truck Series team. In 2026, multi-billion dollar brands IKEA and Best Buy co-sponsored Carson Hocevar’s Truck ride in Daytona. So Dale Earnhardt Jr. feels that this monetary muscle may pull Chris Gabehart out of the JGR lawsuit.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued, “The funny thing, all of this goes down right? JGR files a suit very publicly, puts out that statement, Gabehart responds publicly. Literally the next day, Spire puts out an announcement. ‘Gabehart’s our guy!’ That was them going, ‘Alright, we’re in this corner.’ They staked their flag, and now it’s on.”

With Spire by his side, Chris Gabehart may have a smooth ride ahead. However, the JGR lawsuit may not be the only of its kind, as a NASCAR veteran believes.

Setting a grim precedent

When the Next-Gen car debuted in 2022, NASCAR entered an era of chasing parity. According to 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, this may be why other lawsuits may follow the JGR lawsuit. With similar spec parts working on the cars, it can be easier to transfer data from one team to another. So the setup files, payroll records, and pit crew data, and other information that Chris Gabehart was accused of stealing from JGR, could all be easily accessible in other teams.

“This is going to become more common because of the nature of this car. It has no special race team-specific parts. So that means everyone has the same things to worry about with. Extremely more engineering driven, and easier to copy and paste amongst the field,” Brad Keselowski said. “No longer does the guy moving between teams have to build the car as he had somewhere else. Conversely, it’s so much easier to just use what you’ve been using for the last few years. Look for more non-compete clauses that are stricter than ever before.”

Such a situation demands strict monitoring on the part of Cup Series teams. For now, let’s wait and see how the JGR lawsuit unfolds.