Joe Gibbs Racing is suing both Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports. The NASCAR Cup Series team is claiming that intellectual property was stolen from JGR.
Chris Gabehart was named the competition director for Joe Gibbs Racing in November 2024. He previously served as the crew chief for the No. 11 team with driver Denny Hamlin.
Joe Gibbs Racing opens a lawsuit against former crew chief
Hear from Chris Gabehart below.
In June of 2025, Gabehart was selected as the crew chief for the No. 54 team driven by Ty Gibbs. He served as the crew chief for just nine races. He held this role while also serving as the competition director but he did it reluctantly.
Ty Gibbs is the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.
In November 2025, Gabehart left Joe Gibbs Racing. It was rumored that he signed with Spire Motorsports though no official announcement has been made.
Gabehart has now brought things to light regarding the No. 54 team…
The following comes from the Declaration filed in court by Chris Gabehart in the ongoing lawsuit:
“On or around November 6, 2025, I provided written notice to JGR pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement,” Gabehart stated via the latest court filing.
“The Written Notice identified specific job duties and responsibilities assigned to me that were materially inconsistent with my reasonable expectations when I accepted the position of Director of Cup Series Competition.”
“I notified JGR that the job was not, at all, as advertised. I was promised a COO-type role overseeing all competitive operations with autonomy to lead.
He added, “I further expressed serious concerns about the management of JGR’s No. 54 car.”
“Instead, I found myself constantly intertwined with Coach Gibbs, senior JGR executives, and family members when making even routine competition decisions — a dysfunctional organizational structure that I could not continue in.”
“It was my view that the No. 54 car should be managed and held accountable in the same manner as the organization’s other cars. Instead, the No. 54 car was managed directly by Coach Gibbs and everyone in the organization knew it.”
“I also identified specific examples of the No. 54 team’s differential treatment that undermined my position as competition director,” Gabehart said.
“For example, key personnel decisions were made without my counsel or input despite my role as competition director; and critically, the No. 54 driver was not held to the same meeting attendance standards as others on the team.”
“Despite my objections, Coach Gibbs and ownership continued pressing, and I eventually conceded to the pressure by first helping the No. 54 team more behind the scenes and then … serving as the crew chief.”
Chris Gabehart speaks out after NASCAR team opens lawsuit against him
In a meeting on November 6, 2025, Gabehart voiced these concerns above in a meeting with Joe Gibbs. In the meeting they came to the conclusion that they needed to begin working on terms of separation.
Gabehart also admitted that he took a photo of an excel sheet with information owned by JGR on November 7th, 2025. However, he notes that the information was relevant to his job at JGR.
“I understood my confidentiality obligations to JGR and had no intent to violate those obligations.”
Gabehart has stated that he offered JGR $50,000 to settle this lawsuit. The team is instead seeking $8M.
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Spire Motorsports | Joe Gibbs Racing | NASCAR
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