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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying Oct 25, 2025 Martinsville, Virginia, USA NASCAR Cup Series team owner Joe Gibbs before NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 Practice and Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville Martinsville Speedway Virginia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGregxAtkinsx 20251025_szo_yr6_0133
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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying Oct 25, 2025 Martinsville, Virginia, USA NASCAR Cup Series team owner Joe Gibbs before NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 Practice and Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville Martinsville Speedway Virginia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGregxAtkinsx 20251025_szo_yr6_0133
There’s never a dull moment in NASCAR, even during the offseason. The 23XI Racing vs NASCAR lawsuit proved that. However, when that ended and the 2026 season began, people thought it was only the excitement for the Cup Series they had to look forward to. That’s when fans were made aware of the Joe Gibbs Racing and Spire Motorsports controversy.
It all started when Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR director of competition, Chris Gabehart, vacated his role only to join Spire Motorsports with immediate effect. Joe Gibbs did not take the news well and felt that he was taking valuable intel to Spire. After initial hearings, a lot of things have unravelled, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi.
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What’s the latest on the Joe Gibbs Racing lawsuit?
JGR Racing alleged over $8 million in damages and sued the former director for allegedly stealing confidential trade secrets and proprietary data that would help his new team.
Bianchi believes that while the initial hearing showed there was a lot to unpack, the upcoming hearing is going to help a lot in determining the outcome.
“Preliminary injunction. So just kind of getting the nuts and bolts of what Chris Gabehart can do, can’t do at Spire,” said Bianchi on the Teardown podcast. “How long does that go for. What information is out there? There’s also a forensic analysis done on his computer.”
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 15: Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Yahoo Toyota leads Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Interstate Batteries Toyota during the early laps of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Pennzoil 400 on March 15, 2026, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Will Lester/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 15 NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon24031511851
Gabehart has been cooperative and believes he has done no wrong, according to his official statement. While his privacy would be stalled during the course of the proceedings due to the injunction, this has also invited unnecessary trouble for JGR Racing.
“Now Spire can do a discovery on JGR and everything related to what was going on with Chris Gabehart, Related to his contract and when he was let out of the contract, that kind of thing,” said Bianchi. “Now they can go through JGR’s cell phones, computers, and that kind of thing. We’ll see where this leads.”
This could severely impact JGR, who have aspirations to win the Cup Series this year.
How will the lawsuit impact JGR?
Since JGR was the one to bring the lawsuit, they were entitled to know if Spire had benefited.
However, in this scenario, the shoe is on the other foot, because it is Spire’s turn to make inquiries. To be precise, they have a right to know what Gabehart’s contract with Joe Gibbs Racing was and if there were any malpractices there.
With all this said, when will Gabehart’s real impact on Spire Motorsports be felt? While he has been recruited to the team with immediate effect, his presence might not affect the team this season. It also remains to be seen if this lawsuit will become a problem for either of the teams, as the racing calendar is set to get into an intense few months.
