Thanks to a recent report by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, many NASCAR fans are thinking of the next big Silly Season move. One such move involves two Tier One Ford teams, Front Row Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing. Could the two be teaming up?
Pockrass mentioned that SHR’s contract with Ford is up at the end of the year, and the contract has not yet been renewed. That’s not new as Jordan Bianchi originally reported that in early March, but, it’s still important as SHR potentially leaving Ford could lead to downsizing. We discussed that in the article below.
Pockrass also added some context to the report of SHR selling charters, saying SHR “Has sent prospective buyers information on what it would take to purchase a charter.” He also listed the different race teams in the market for the charter including Trackouse Racing, Legacy Motor Club, 23XI Racing, and a new entry, Front Row Motorsports. This is what he added on Front Row Motorsports, and where the teaming up idea came from.
Front Row, if it expands, also likely would need more space. SHR, which has two big buildings (one a Cup shop, the other that has served as the Haas Formula 1 U.S headquarters), also could sell one of its buildings if it downsizes.
Bob Pockrass
This doesn’t explicitly say that FRM and SHR will team up. However, the pieces are there for that to happen.
Matt Weaver further added to this report the next day. He reported that SHR could be selling their building and maybe their entire operation alongside the charters.
There are a few scenarios that could play out.
If FRM does buy a charter and expands, it could buy SHR’s building and the two could merge. This is not an unprecedented practice in NASCAR. In 2009, Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises merged to form Richard Petty Motorsports, and, that same year, Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Chip Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.
FRM could also buy SHR out entirely. We’ve also seen this before, including Trackhosue buying out Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 and Spire Motorsports buying out Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2023.
There’s also the option of both teams remaining separate entities but working on the same campus. This happens at all levels of the sport. In the Cup Series, Kaulig Racing is housed on the same campus as Richard Childress Racing, and in the Craftsman Truck Series, Faction46 is on the same campus at Niece Motorsports. This typically coincides with a technical alliance between the teams as well.
The two teams are already pretty tight-knit as they are Tier One Ford teams. They both get a lot of the same resources from Ford, even if FRM’s official technical alliance is with Team Penske.
It also makes sense for FRM to expand as well. They have fielded a 3rd, non-chartered entry here and there throughout the past few years, so, they have the resources to bring a third car for certain weekends. Then again, as Pockrass reported, they’re not the only ones looking for a charter.
Could a teaming up happen? Yes, it could.
Will it happen? That’s tough to tell given how crowded the charter market is.
Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information and intended to use it to benefit Spire Motorsports.
The organization is seeking financial compensation and a court order to prevent Gabehart from using or disclosing what it describes as proprietary data and trade secrets obtained during his tenure. In the filing, JGR states that Gabehart had access to sensitive technical, strategic, and operational information while serving in one of the team’s highest leadership roles. His employment contract, submitted as part of the case, shows he earned about $1 million annually plus performance bonuses. The team argues that such information could provide a competitive advantage if shared with another organization.
In its complaint letter, JGR alleges that Chris Gabehart synchronized his personal Google Drive with his team-issued laptop, allowing confidential files to be copied outside the organization. Investigators also allegedly found a Google Drive folder labeled “Spire,” including a subfolder titled “Past Setups,” along with more than a dozen photos of the laptop screen taken in November 2025 that allegedly showed sensitive internal documents. The filing also states that Gabehart conducted online research about Spire Motorsports during the same period, which JGR cites as evidence that the information was intended for the competing team.
The filing also states that JGR learned on February 11, 2026, that Gabehart intended to accept a role as Chief Motorsports Officer at Spire, a position overseeing the team’s racing operations.
According to the complaint, JGR issued a demand letter in December 2025 instructing him not to use or disclose confidential information and to participate in a forensic review to identify any retained data; Gabehart’s legal counsel responded that any JGR materials would be returned but opposed the forensic review, stating that a Google Drive folder labeled “Spire” contained only personal notes and that he did not possess sensitive documents. JGR challenges these claims in its filing.
The lawsuit follows Gabehart’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing on December 3, 2025, which happened without a public explanation at the time. Gabehart had recently moved from serving as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief to overseeing competition across the organization. Neither Gabehart nor the team came to public to explain the reasons behind the split, which sparked fan speculation and theories for over two months.
Some of the speculation during the off-season suggested that Gabehart could join Spire Motorsports, though nothing has been announced. The lawsuit does not confirm any employment agreement but claims that the alleged actions were intended to benefit exactly that organization.
Team owner Joe Gibbs later explained that the organization chose not to hire a single replacement competition director after Gabehart’s exit. Instead, JGR created a 5-person competition committee that includes former director Wally Brown and 4 additional leaders focused on performance. Gibbs stated that the the group shares the responsibility for preparing the team’s cars and race strategy.
Gabehart’s tenure at JGR dates back to 2016 in the then-Xfinity, now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before he became Hamlin’s crew chief in 2019. Together, they won 22 Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 in 2019 and 2020, and reached the Championship 4 three times. He moved into the competition director role for the 2025 season, overseeing performance across all Cup teams.
JGR’s filing emphasizes that the competition director position involves broad access to internal processes, technical development plans, and strategic information, and the team is seeking legal remedies to prevent any use of that information outside the team and to recover damages related to the alleged breach of contractual obligations.
The case is expected to proceed through the court while the season continues, leaving Gabehart’s future in the sport uncertain.
This year marks the second season of NASCAR’s groundbreaking 2025 media rights deal, and fans are curious to see just how year two will stack up with year one. This article will walk you through the 2026 season race by race, comparing viewership week by week to NASCAR’s 2025 season.
All Races (3 Total in 2026): Includes Ratings for The Clash, Daytona Duels, and the All-Star Race, along with the 36-race regular schedule
Network Races to Date (2 Total in 2026): Points and Exhibition/Qualifying Races
Exhibition/Qualifying Races (2 Total in 2026): ONLY Includes Ratings for The Clash, Daytona Duels, and the All-Star Race
*The 2025 Daytona 500 was pushed back several hours due to rain, while the 2026 Daytona 500 was pushed up one hour to avoid inclement weather
**2026 Clash was pushed from Sunday to Wednesday due to snow, and moved to FS2 due to overrunning time on FOX.
This tracker will be updated throughout the season. Make sure to check back in for the latest!
Scene Vault Podcast’s creator Rick Houston is launching a new documentary series that will take a deep look at one of the most painful and transformative periods in NASCAR history. Firestorm, produced by The Scene Vault Podcast, chronicles the 17 month stretch from May 2000 to October 2001 when 5 drivers lost their lives in on-track accidents, marking the era that permanently changed the sport’s approach to safety.
The 10-episode series revisits the tragedies involving Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr, Tony Roper, Dale Earnhardt, and Blaise Alexander. Rather than focusing solely on the crashes themselves, Firestorm analyzes the human stories behind the drivers, the emotional toll on the garage, and the sweeping changes that followed.
Listeners can access the series through The Scene Vault’s podcast platforms, where episodes are released as part of its long-running motorsports history programming. The show is available on major podcast services, as well as through videos on YouTube.
The first episode of Firestorm is already up on YouTube, and you can check out by tapping below
By combining archival research, firsthand accounts, and technical analysis, Firestorm aims to document how grief and controversy ultimately led to one of the most significant safety revolutions in motorsports history, providing context as for why modern NASCAR safety standards exist and the heavy price paid to achieve them.
Subscribe to The Scene Vault and hit the bell to never miss an episode.
