The roar of victory at Spire Motorsports isn't just turning heads on the track—it's fueling a legal battle that's shifting into high gear. Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has asked a federal judge to let them amend their lawsuit against their former competition director, Chris Gabehart, and Spire Motorsports. The trial is set for January 2027, but the sparks are flying now.
Why the legal pit stop? Spire's surprising success in the first 11 races of the NASCAR Cup Series season has JGR crying foul. They claim Gabehart's influence at Spire violates the non-compete agreement he signed when he left JGR. And the timing couldn't be more dramatic.
During a recent FOX Sports telecast, an announcer didn't mince words: "I'm just going to address the elephant in the room—there's a reason there's a lawsuit going on. Kevin, you're going to tell me the Toyotas are fast all day long. They hired—everything is about people in this world, and they've hired a good one with Chris Gabehart over at Spire Motorsports, and I think that's a big reason why they're running good." That transcript is now part of JGR's legal filing.
Let's look at the numbers that have everyone talking. This season, Spire's three Cup drivers—Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suarez, and Michael McDowell—have combined for one victory, five top-five finishes, and 10 top-10 finishes, plus a pole position. Hocevar scored his first career Cup win at Talladega and sits sixth in the driver standings. Suarez is 14th, and McDowell is 23rd.
Now compare that to last year, when Spire's lineup of Justin Haley, Hocevar, and McDowell produced zero victories, just six top-five finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes. None of those drivers cracked the top 20 in the final point standings—McDowell was the best at 22nd. The turnaround is undeniable, and JGR believes Gabehart is the engine behind it.
In their proposed second amended complaint, filed with US District Judge Susan C. Rodriguez, JGR argues that Spire knowingly hired Gabehart to do the same job he did for them in 2025, breaking his non-compete agreement. The Huntersville, North Carolina-based team alleges that Spire gave Gabehart a different title—chief motorsports officer—to hide the true nature of his role and avoid triggering the non-compete clause in his JGR contract.
"Spire's decision to give Gabehart a different title while causing him to perform the same responsibilities he promised not to perform in the year following his departure from JGR is at the heart of this dispute," the filing states. As the legal gears turn, one thing is clear: in the high-stakes world of NASCAR, winning isn't just about speed—it's about who's calling the shots.