Lawsuit Update: Gabehart Calls JGR Competition Team “Dysfunctional,” Ty Gibbs “Not Accountable”
What’s Happening? Former Joe Gibbs Racing Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart has filed a new response slamming JGR as…
In NASCAR, 4th of July weekend is always pretty special. For decades, we were down in Daytona Beach, under the lights with a lot of special paint schemes popping off the track. Well, we don’t race in Daytona anymore on this weekend. Instead, we head a little further to the northwest in Chicago for a street race, which has become a marquee event in its own right. For the last couple of years, there has been a lot of hype around this date on the schedule. That’s rightfully so. It’s an unprecedented race in a lot of ways for NASCAR. And though things have changed through the years, one tradition still holds strong: awesome NASCAR paint schemes the week of the 4th of July.
2025 is no different. Teams and sponsors go out of their way to make their cars look great in front of the Chicago crowd. We have some awesome paint schemes again this year for our viewing pleasure. This year, the teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series really knocked it out of the park. Here are the best Xfinity Series paint schemes that will run in the streets of Chicago this weekend.
Sam Hunt Racing’s cars typically look pretty sharp. The best one they have going for this weekend in Chicago is Kaz Grala’s Overplay Games Toyota. The scheme just looks like a whole lot of fun. I like the different shades of purple and green. The color scheme meshes very nicely. I like the golden stars that kind of look like tokens on the front, and especially the playful cat behind the door on either side. I’m not exactly sure what Overplay Games is, but this scheme kind of makes me want to take out my phone, scan the QR code on the back, and start playing today!
As referenced in the Cup article about the best paint schemes on that side of the garage, there are a plethora of patriotic schemes for this weekend. Most of the good ones, though, were actually from the Xfinity Series. This is just one of them. Josh Williams’ Alloy Employer Services Chevy screams America! From the flag on the side, to the eagle clutching it in its talons, from sea to shining sea! I dig the blue background and the nice detail of the scattered clouds behind the eagle and the American flag. It’s like cloud gazing on a 4th of July afternoon.
This is another one of those schemes that I will always be weak in the knees for. Everything about it just works beautifully. It helps that I love the product. But Toxic Waste always has some hazardously wicked paint schemes. I like the green slime on the hood and the way it oozes down the neon yellow sides of the car. I dig the detail of the little Toxic Waste drum with the cap open. And Toxie Head on the rear decklid holding the checkered flag is a nice touch, too. Alpha Prime and Toxic Waste did a great job with this one. I can’t wait to see it on track!
The last two entries on this list are the dynamic JRM duo. First, we’ll look at SVG. That’s right, SVG will make his first Xfinity Series start of the year on Saturday in Chicago. This time, though, it’s with arguably the best Chevy team in the series, JR Motorsports. He’ll be driving the 9 car, the same car that his Trackhouse teammate won with in Mexico City a couple of weeks ago. With him, he’s bringing his Cup Series sponsorship, WeatherTech. And Redbull, of course.
From the front, it looks like a typical WeatherTech car. But as you get closer to the rear, it turns into a Redbull race car. I’m not sure how this scheme would work on its own. It feels like it should be part of a set, and thankfully, it is. But together with the next scheme on this list, it’s one of two of the best-looking cars in the Xfinity Series garage this weekend.
Now to the other half of the duo, and we have Connor Zilisch’s Redbull/WeatherTech Chevy. Like with SVG, I’m not sure how well it works on its own. But in tandem, they look really look sharp. They complement each other not only in color scheme but also in the placement of the bull on the sides. This race is being built as SVG vs. Connor Zilisch, head-to-head. It makes sense. Both drivers are the kings of the road in their respective series. It’ll be interesting to see how they square off, one-on-one, mano a mano. In any case, they’ll look great doing it with this pair of hotrods.
Which Xfinity Series scheme is your favorite for this weekend? What about on the Cup side? Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. And everybody have a happy and safe 4th of July!
An email sent by former Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director Chris Gabehart claims that resentment towards him from members of the Gibbs family made him feel that the future of JGR was a “no-win situation.”
Last week, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, claiming that the former Daytona 500 Champion had schemed to steal vital information from the team in the lead-up to his departure from JGR for Spire Motorsports.
Not even ten days since JGR filed this lawsuit, the two have continued to trade barbs and accusations back and forth through the court system.
In a filing earlier this week, Gabehart accused the team of misleading him in his duties as competition director in 2025, and specifically calling out JGR’s No. 54 team, driven by Joe Gibbs’ grandson Ty, alleging that the team received “differential treatment.”
Friday, an email sent to JGR CFO Tim Carmichael by Gabehart in November 2025 (released as part of this lawsuit) showed just how uncomfortable he had grown working at JGR during his tenure as Competition Director, with the industry veteran stating that Ty Gibbs and his mother, Heather, held “resentment” towards Gabehart.
The now former Competition Director went on to say in this email that, as the two were the future bosses of JGR, “I’m afraid that leaves me in a no-win situation.”
These exchanges, including the claims made by Gibbs in his filing earlier this week, have swept fans into a whirlwind of sorts, with the two sides even meeting in court today for the lawsuit’s first official hearing.
Of course, Gabehart’s claims about the state of operations at JGR pale in comparison to the accusations made by the Gibbs team in their initial lawsuit.
On Tuesday, the team even added Spire Motorsports, Gabehart’s current employer, as a co-defendant, and requested the court force Gabehart to sit out at least the 18 months since his termination before doing any work in NASCAR similar to his role at JGR.
The team is also asking that any information procured by Spire from Gabehart be returned, though the CEO of TWG Motorsports, which owns Spire, Dan Towriss, told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports Friday that “Spire doesn’t want data from Joe Gibbs Racing. It doesn’t have data from Joe Gibbs Racing. No point in time has it had data from Joe Gibbs Racing.”
Alongside Spire, Gabehart adamantly denied any wrongdoing in a post to social media last week, saying, “I feel compelled to speak out today and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims.”
What’s Happening? Former Joe Gibbs Racing Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart has filed a new response slamming JGR as…
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A few years ago, I looked at the racetracks preserved on iRacing that no longer exist in real life. After digging deeper, I expected to find one common reason they all shut down. Instead, each one tells a completely different story — from booming cities and land value spikes to ownership changes, broken promises, and even mysteries that still don’t have clear answers.
Some tracks were pushed out by urban development. Some lost the one person fighting to keep them alive. Others faded due to declining support — or were never meant to last forever in the first place. No two closures are the same, and that’s what makes this deep dive so fascinating.
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NASCAR’s documentary series “Full Speed,” which used to live on Netflix, had its first two seasons look back at entire playoff runs. But now, NASCAR is shifting the series to Amazon Prime Video for its third season, and the scope of the series will also shift to new storylines.
Dropping on March 5, the new season is aimed at zooming in on one event: the 2026 Daytona 500. Instead of a multi-episode run, this time it’s a single-episode documentary that goes all in on one race.
The film will follow big names and storylines from the Daytona 500. It will spotlight the winner, Tyler Reddick, and lean into driver storylines around the weekend. That includes Kyle Busch trying to get his groove back, Brad Keselowski clawing his way back after a broken leg, Connor Zilisch being pushed as the next big thing, and Noah Gragson bringing chaos wherever he goes.
Some fans might question the move away from Netflix, especially after Season 1 pulled in 3.4 million views in the first half of 2024. Then in 2025, the docuseries clocked 900,000 views after its early May release and added another 200,000 between July and December.
But with Prime Video stepping in as one of NASCAR’s broadcast partners, moving the series lines up with a bigger play to keep content under one roof.
Amazon has already dipped into NASCAR storytelling with projects like the docuseries Earnhardt about Dale Earnhardt. Moving Full Speed to Prime follows the same playbook. And for fans who still haven’t seen previous installments, the first two seasons are also heading over to Prime Video.
However, Reddit fans are divided in their opinions about the decision. Some fans actually get why NASCAR changed the format and platform, while a chunk of fans think leaving Netflix is risky because Netflix is where casual viewers stumble into shows. Others push back, pointing out that Prime actually has a massive reach in the U.S. and strong marketing muscle.
While one fan commented, “Makes sense. I highly doubt they were gonna make a new season around a points format they don’t use anymore,” another stated, “Idk the semantics and numbers and everything behind it so I’m probably talking out of my ass….buttttttt….at what point does nascar take the less money for the exposure. You need to be on Netflix, people watch Netflix. People don’t watch Amazon video as much. Who’s gonna watch this that isn’t a nascar fan already. You have a higher chance of getting people lost on Netflix than lost on Amazon Prime Video.”
One fan commented on the news, saying, “100%. I have Amazon Prime and Netflix. AP is a train wreck for videos especially now with their ad program with videos. I steer clear because Netflix is still ad free.” Another fan supported NASCAR’s move, saying, “Prime actually has slightly more subscribers in the USA and in my opinion is better at marketing. It’s a lateral move.”
Another backed NASCAR, stating, “Most NASCAR fans will find some way to be on prime in the month of June. I think they are counting on people watching it then if they have not already seen it. Similar to the Earnhardt documentary that dropped in June last year.”
Another fan comment implied something less glamorous yet very real, pointing out that the Netflix seasons didn’t see a surge in viewership. The first season did okay, but later numbers dipped: “Netflix didn’t seem to work that well for the 2 playoff seasons.”
Will you be watching on Prime Video? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.