That last-second defense by your favorite driver to block a rival or your favorite driver keeping his cool in traffic often has one unsung hero behind it: the spotter. Sitting high above the track, these voices are a driver’s eyes and ears, guiding every move when split-second decisions can make or break a race.

Yet, despite their crucial role, spotters can face restrictive contracts hidden from the world that threaten their ability to earn a living if their employment ends. Veteran NASCAR insider Brett Griffin is now calling out that injustice.

“I’ve helped a few spotters with their contracts (including the highest paid Spotter in the garage) and they should never agree to a one-sided noncompete that disallows them from being able to earn a living should their employment end. Spotters don’t possess valuable secrets,” Veteran NASCAR spotter Brett Griffin recently posted on X.

He has drawn a line over employment agreements that could prevent spotters from finding their next job after leaving a team. His argument is straightforward: these professionals play a critical role on race day, but that should not mean losing the freedom to work elsewhere when an employment relationship ends.

The path into the role is rarely straightforward. Griffin entered NASCAR in 1999 while working in marketing and public relations for the Wood Brothers. When the team’s regular spotter could not attend a race, team executive Eddie Wood asked Griffin to fill in. That unexpected opportunity eventually turned into a full-time career. Griffin began spotting for Elliott Sadler in 2001 and later worked with drivers including Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton. His experience shows how networking, familiarity with racing and opportunities to fill in can open doors in a specialized profession.

Compensation can also vary considerably. Spotters do not have a publicly established salary scale covering every team and series. Some Cup Series spotters work as employees, while others operate as independent contractors. In the O’Reilly and Truck Series, race-by-race arrangements can mean earnings depend on how many events a spotter works.

As Griffin revealed in a comment under his original post, “My honest take is the lower series spotter pay is too low. They don’t pay the spotters travel or per diem in most cases – saving teams $40,000+ per year per spotter.”

During the COVID-19 shutdown, Griffin discussed how independent contractors in the lower series lost race payments when events stopped. For those who depend on spotting as their primary income, losing a job can create an immediate financial problem.

Many spotters also build careers beyond the spotter’s stand, using their racing experience to pursue opportunities in business, marketing and other roles. Griffin, for instance, expanded into driver marketing and sponsorship through his company, SpotOn Activations, after years of spotting for drivers such as Sadler and Bowyer. Tim Fedewa took a different route, moving from a driving career into spotting and building a long career in the role.

These paths highlight how experience and relationships can create opportunities across the garage. While there is no evidence that noncompete agreements are the reason spotters move into other roles, Griffin’s concern is that overly restrictive contracts could limit their options when a team relationship ends.

That is why Griffin’s objection to one-sided noncompete agreements matters. If a spotter leaves a team or is let go, a restriction that prevents them from joining another organization could shut them out of the limited market in which their skills are useful. Griffin argues that spotters do not possess the kind of valuable competitive secrets that would justify such a sweeping restriction.

One fan raised a related question beneath Griffin’s post: “Are spotters involved in competition meetings? Are secrets discussed in those meetings?”

Griffin replied: “Weekly comp meetings that are race debriefs? Some are but no secrets come out in them.”

His answer draws a distinction between being involved in discussions about race performance and having access to proprietary information that could give a rival team an advantage. Spotters may participate in race debriefs, but Griffin does not believe that involvement justifies preventing them from earning a living elsewhere.

The debate has gained extra significance against the backdrop of Joe Gibbs Racing’s lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports. JGR alleges that Gabehart took confidential competition information when he left for Spire, including data and material related to car setups. Gabehart has denied wrongdoing, while Spire has disputed JGR’s claims. The case has put noncompete clauses and the protection of team secrets under intense scrutiny.

The distinction is important. A competition director responsible for technical strategy and team operations may have access to sensitive data that a team considers proprietary. Griffin’s argument is that spotters should not automatically face comparable restrictions simply because they work inside the same sport. Protecting legitimate trade secrets is one thing; limiting an employee’s ability to find another job is another.