Joe Gibbs Racing has asked US District Judge Susan C. Rodriguez to dismiss the countersuit filed by Spire Motorsports, but Spire contends it should remain because JGR breached an implied trade contract between the two.
Spire states that JGR recruited its “topnotch” car chief Robert “Cheddar” Smith for Ty Gibbs’ “struggling team.” Smith was under a non-compete contract. Spire claims it agreed to forgo its contractual rights pertaining to Smith in exchange for its pick of a willing, competition-level employee from JGR during the 2025 season or a payment of $100,000. JGR agreed and Smith began working at JGR in April 2025.
In June 2025, Spire asked JGR to release Tyler Allen, Gibbs’ prior crew chief, but JGR refused. That fall, Spire asked JGR to release car chief Ryan Towles, “a role comparable to Smith’s,” and JGR refused. Spire also claims that JGR refused to pay the team $100,000 as an alternative.
“Spire upheld its end of the bargain. JGR did not,” the document states. “When talent, sponsors, and victories flow in JGR’s direction, JGR has done no wrong. But when talent, sponsors, and victories flow anywhere else, JGR sues and complains.”
JGR has also asked that Chris Gabehart’s countersuit be dismissed. The organization’s former competition director contends his countersuit should continue because JGR has committed:
Unlawful wage withholding.
Invasive demands.
Manufactured legal pretexts.
Gabehart also claims JGR filed a lawsuit against him that was “designed not to protect legitimate business interests, but to punish” him for daring to leave. He contends that JGR’s motion to dismiss “rests on a fundamental mischaracterization of the facts.”
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Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing.
“JGR’s selective enforcement reveals the true nature of this litigation,” Gabehart’s document states. “In NASCAR, lateral movement of personnel between teams is routine and accepted. JGR has raised no objection when employees depart for Toyota-aligned competitors like 23XI Racing or Legacy Motor Club.
“Just months ago, JGR’s Chief Operating Officer Michael Guttilla departed to become President of Legacy Motor Club, a direct competitor,” the document states. “JGR did not file suit. JGR did not seek injunctive relief. JGR did not demand forensic examinations. Yet JGR seeks to prevent Mr. Gabehart from working for Spire, a Chevrolet-aligned team that does not share the same manufacturer relationship. This double standard is not the protection of legitimate business interests—it is retaliation.”
In a week of legal filings, Rodriguez granted JGR’s request to remove a paragraph from its second amended complaint that claimed Gabehart was participating in competition strategy and decision making at Spire that violated the non-compete clause in his JGR contract. The paragraph that has now been removed claimed Spire employees had been told not to discuss outside of the organization that Gabehart was leading and/or participating in Spire’s competition and strategy decision making process. Gabehart is Spire’s chief motorsports officer.
JGR conceded in its dismissal request that it didn’t possess “nonprivileged information sufficient to support the allegations” that were in the paragraph.
JGR’s lawsuit that was originally filed in February 2026 is scheduled to go to trial February 1, 2027.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.