- Joe Gibbs Racing ready to add points against Spire and Gabehart in its lawsuit.
- JGR will use Carson Hocevar’s win and recent performance as key proof.
- Spire Motorsports continues to defend itself.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s legal fight with Chris Gabehart has been running since December, and with Spire Motorsports now pulled into the whole situation, the JGR team appears ready to leave no stone unturned in its filings.
In the latest update, Joe Gibbs Racing is moving to amend its complaint by bringing Spire Motorsports’ win at Talladega and its run of results into the frame.
Joe Gibbs Racing connects the dots of Hocevar’s win with the lawsuit
Veteran motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass confirmed that the team is seeking to revise its filing against Spire and Gabehart, citing the team’s results as support for claims made earlier in the case.
Pockrass wrote, “JGR wants to amend lawsuit vs Spire. From filing:”This sudden improvement in Spire’s Cup Series performance of course comes on the heels of Gabehart misappropriating JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets and providing Spire the same or similar services he provided JGR.”
Joe Gibbs Racing is also seeking an expedited trial, arguing that the situation is continuously harming its business. The team has alleged that the use of its trade secrets is affecting race results. It further claimed that Spire, once viewed as a back marker, has shown gains in speed and qualifying since Gabehart joined.
One instance cited in the filing is Carson Hocevar’s win at Talladega, which came one week before the lawsuit was filed. Besides that, in Texas, Hocevar won the pole position and showed speed, while Daniel Suarez started just beside him from the second spot.
Claiming $8 million in damages
In fact, during the last weekend’s Texas race, both the spire cars finished inside the top 10 for the first time in their history, with Daniel Suarez finishing in P6 and Hocevar just behind him in P7.
Joe Gibbs Racing also submitted transcripts from NASCAR broadcasts in which analysts speculated that Spire’s rise could be linked to hiring a good one like Gabehart, according to court records.
The lawsuit also states that the creation of a role for Gabehart does not reflect a competitive interest but instead aims to harm Joe Gibbs Racing. It adds that Spire has seen gains in profitability, with drivers such as Carson Hocevar now placed sixth in the standings after the Talladega result.
The initial complaint, filed on February 19, sought $8m in damages from Gabehart, a former engineer and crew chief who later served as competition director, over what the team described as a brazen scheme to take proprietary data and pass it to Spire Motorsports.
Breach of contract?
Joe Gibbs Racing has alleged that Denny Hamlin’s former crew chief, Chris Gabehart, saved confidential files before his exit and that Spire pursued his hiring despite knowing he held trade secrets. While the court has acknowledged that Gabehart mishandled files, it has not found proof that those materials were shared with Spire.
Spire Motorsports has pushed back, maintaining its position and expressing confusion at being named in the case. Its defence has also argued that Gabehart’s hiring stands, stating that any prior contract with Joe Gibbs Racing would have been void.
Joe Gibbs Racing, however, maintains that Spire induced Gabehart to breach his contract by creating a role intended to facilitate that move, a claim it argues runs counter to laws on competition. The team has asked the court to allow the amendment, noting that the new points do not alter the core of its case.
With the revised filing, Joe Gibbs Racing is attempting to underline the consequence of its claims by tying them to Spire’s run on track, while keeping the pressure on its former figure, Gabehart, as the case moves forward.
