Spire Owner Says Joe Gibbs Racing “Intentionally Staged” Lawsuit to Undermine Team’s Growth
What’s Happening? Spire Motorsports co-owner and co-founder Jeff Dickerson explained what he thinks is the true reason Joe Gibbs Racing filed…
A fiery interview with Spire Motorsport co-owner Jeff Dickerson regarding the team’s ongoing lawsuit with Joe Gibbs Racing is gaining the attention of not only NASCAR fans but JGR ownership.
The lawsuit filed by Joe Gibbs Racing against Spire Motorsports and its current Chief Motorsports Officer, Chris Gabehart, has had its fair share of contentious moments.
Most of these have come from the Spire/Gabehart party, with Gabehart lobbing numerous accusations about the work environment at JGR in 2025, and Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson saying that JGR “staged” the lawsuit to impede Spire’s growth.
What’s Happening? Spire Motorsports co-owner and co-founder Jeff Dickerson explained what he thinks is the true reason Joe Gibbs Racing filed…
While these have had little to do with the allegations that Gabehart misappropriated proprietary information and trade secrets during his slow exit from JGR, that hasn’t stopped those in the Spire camp from letting their true feelings be heard.
During a recent episode of Jeff Gluck’s Gluckcast podcast, Dickerson again stepped up to the plate to defend his team, saying that despite JGR’s claims, they have produced nothing showing that Spire did anything wrong.
“I will say that it is tough sitting in court, and being called a liar, and a thief, and a cheater,” Dickerson said. “And every time that a judge has asked for any evidence, they [JGR] have produced nothing.”
This was a big week for the team, as, for the first time since 2019, and for the first time in a full-length race, Spire brought home a race win. Still, a filing that Dickerson felt implied that Spire could not have done this without JGR information or Gabehart’s help, led to hurt feelings.
“They filed something after the win, and essentially, it was linking it back to Chris [Gabehart],” Dickerson said. “And I’ll tell you what upsets me, is that not only is Chris not in that role, but they’re minimizing what happens here. They’re minimizing the 175 people here. Like, we couldn’t win without them, right? And I don’t even just mean without Chris, they’re implying we can’t win without JGR data.”
Dickerson made the point that their alliance partner, Hendrick Motorsports, has more wins than JGR and gives Spire the support they need to perform at the top of their game.
He even warned that a legal battle is something Spire is comfortable with, saying that they are “comfortable winning in court.”
“Spire has not even begun to fight, right?. . . I don’t want to be in court, but I can tell you that going all the way back to our agency roots and representing several people in that garage through these things, Spire is comfortable in court, and Spire is comfortable winning in court. And what this phase is, is our specialty.” — Jeff Dickerson
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Shortly after this episode went live, JGR Co-Owner Heather Gibbs wrote a statement in response to Dickerson that Gluck shared on social media.
Not only did Gibbs address the allegations made by Dickerson that JGR is “minimizing” the work done by Spire, but she also addressed the team’s star driver, Carson Hocevar, saying he is what NASCAR needs.
“We’re not here to diminish anyone,” Gibbs wrote. “Drivers like Carson Hocevar are exactly what NASCAR needs. I couldn’t be more of an advocate for young drivers coming into the series.”
Another notable takeaway from this response is that Gibbs says JGR has a responsibility to pursue this in court, writing, “This lawsuit isn’t personal; we have a responsibility to stand up for our employees, for our partners, and for the integrity of the garage.”
JGR filed their lawsuit in February after a quiet, yet questionable exit from Gabehart after his one-year stint as the team’s Competition Director.
Under the direction of the former Daytona 500 Champion Crew Chief, JGR had an incredible season, with three cars facing realistic championship hopes by November.
Since the lawsuit filing, Gabehart has maintained his role at Spire despite JGR claiming on multiple occasions that he is performing similar duties for Spire that he did for JGR in 2026, something the court said he is not allowed to do per a non-compete clause in his JGR contract.
While a trial date is yet to be set, both sides have offered preferred dates, with JGR focused on late 2026 after the racing season, and Spire setting their sights on early 2027.
What’s Happening? Per the latest court ruling, former Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director Chris Gabehart can continue to work for and…
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