Email From Chris Gabehart Claims “Resentment” From Gibbs Family Members Was a “No-Win Situation”
What’s Happening? An email sent by former Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director Chris Gabehart claims that resentment towards him from members…
Spire Motorsports and its Chief Motorsports Officer, Chris Gabehart, have filed countersuits against Joe Gibbs Racing following the team’s initial lawsuit in February.
Months after Joe Gibbs Racing first filed its lawsuit alleging that former Competition Director Chris Gabehart knowingly left his position at the team with proprietary data, Gabehart and his new employer, Spire Motorsports, have filed a countersuit of their own against JGR.
The co-defendants filed their countersuit on Wednesday, with Gabehart claiming that JGR violated his contract with the team first when Heather Gibbs, the mother of Ty Gibbs, paid him $500,000 “outside of Mr. Gabehart’s Employment Agreement” to serve as Crew Chief for Ty in 2025, during his stint as Competition Director.
Gabehart has often cited the actions of the Gibbs family in his filings, including several allegations of negligence on the part of Ty within the organization. None of Gabehart’s claims about the Gibbs family imply any illegal actions and simply serve as background for his defection to Spire.
What’s Happening? An email sent by former Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director Chris Gabehart claims that resentment towards him from members…
Spire’s countersuit itself rehashes an alleged business agreement between the two teams first mentioned in April. This agreement centered around Robert ‘Cheddar’ Smith, a former Car Chief at Spire, who jumped ship to JGR last spring.
What’s Happening? Spire Motorsports co-owner and co-founder Jeff Dickerson explained what he thinks is the true reason Joe Gibbs Racing filed…
In April, Spire Co-owner and Co-founder Jeff Dickerson claimed that as part of the deal that allowed Smith to leave for JGR last year, Spire would either be compensated $100,000 or be able to pursue an employee of JGR.
Of course, in that filing in April, Dickerson was implying that JGR had not held up their end of the deal, something that has come back around, with Spire claiming in their lawsuit that JGR:
“Materially breached the Implied Trade Contract by failing to either (a) release a JGR employee selected by Spire from contractual restrictions so that Spire could employ that person; or (b) pay Spire $100,000, within a reasonable time.”
In the past, Dickerson claimed that he had inquired about several members of JGR staff, and per their countersuit, the team specifically had interest in the current Crew Chief for Ty Gibbs, Tyler Allen, something that JGR did not opt to do.
These claims both get a little more into the proverbial weeds compared to the initial lawsuit filed by JGR in February.
From the start, JGR was pursuing Gabehart, later roping Spire into the lawsuit, alleging use of their ‘trade secrets’ on the track and in their shop.
Furthermore, JGR has honed in on Gabehart’s non-compete clause, attempting to prove on multiple occasions, and even through photos and inside information at Spire, that the former Daytona 500 Champion crew chief is performing similar duties for Spire that he did for JGR in 2025.
What’s Happening? A new court filing from Joe Gibbs Racing claims that, per a Spire Motorsports employee, former JGR Competition Director…
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