As Motorsport.com reports, Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports have hit back hard against a Joe Gibbs Racing contempt of court motion, arguing the legal push stems from personal animosity rather than any real business dispute. Seven months after JGR secured a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction by claiming Gabehart stole their racing operation's crown jewels, discovery has utterly failed to back up those reckless allegations.
Gabehart's defense relies heavily on sworn deposition interviews from witnesses confirming he is steering clear of Cup Series competition meetings and technical decisions mirroring his former duties at Joe Gibbs Racing. The filings emphasize that Gabehart has not served as a crew chief, acted as a competition director, shared aerodynamic data or setup documents, communicated with GM Motorsports or Hendrick Motorsports about the Cup Series, or touched any databases, simulations, pre-event strategy, build sheets, quality control materials, scans, fuel analysis, debrief forms, or project lists for Cup purposes.
Spire Motorsports echoes those points, pointing out that JGR still lacks any proof that Gabehart used proprietary information this season. The team notes that extensive discovery—featuring more than 80 third-party subpoenas, hundreds of search terms, and searches across dozens of custodians—turned up zero evidence of file-sharing, emails, texts, or Gabehart running meetings, directing personnel, sitting on pit boxes, calling races, and communicating with drivers and alliance partners.
Instead, Spire highlights that Gabehart's executive title is Chief Motorsports Officer, reporting directly to co-owner Jeff Dickerson. The role covers a much broader portfolio than just NASCAR Cup and Xfinity racing, spanning truck series, sprint cars, late models, dirt late models, IndyCars, developmental drivers, as well as manufacturing, acquisition, and expansion work. At Spire, Matthew McCall and three experienced crew chiefs run the Cup program while Gabehart focuses elsewhere.
Dickerson stated in deposition that he has gone above and beyond court orders to avoid any appearance of a violation, intentionally keeping Gabehart out of certain meetings so they do not fly too close to the sun. Spire's response claims JGR's true motive is simply to crush Gabehart and put him out of a job, pointing to discovered communications and depositions from figures like Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern to illustrate an untenable position where JGR treats Gabehart's mere presence in the shop as a violation.
