The legal fight between Joe Gibbs Racing, Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports has taken another significant turn.
Joe Gibbs Racing is asking a federal court to hold Gabehart and Spire in civil contempt, alleging its former competition director has repeatedly performed duties the court restricted him from carrying out after he joined the rival NASCAR organization.
In a new motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, JGR argues that Gabehart and Spire have violated the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction previously entered in the case. JGR wants the defendants ordered to appear and explain why they should not be held in contempt.
The latest filing adds another layer to a legal battle that has stretched across much of the 2026 NASCAR season. And this time, JGR is pointing to specific meetings, communications and technical discussions as evidence that it says crossed the line.
Joe Gibbs Racing Accuses Gabehart, Spire of Violating Court Order
Gabehart left JGR following the 2025 season after more than a decade with the organization, where his roles included engineer, crew chief and, most recently, competition director. He subsequently joined Spire as its Chief Motorsports Officer.
JGR filed its original lawsuit against Gabehart in February before adding Spire as a defendant. Among other claims, the organization has accused Gabehart of breaching contractual obligations and misappropriating proprietary information and trade secrets for the benefit of his new employer. Gabehart and Spire have denied JGR’s allegations and filed counterclaims of their own.
The court later granted JGR’s request for a preliminary injunction in part while denying other portions of it. Among the restrictions, Gabehart was barred from providing Spire with services similar to certain competition director duties he performed for JGR.
Now, JGR alleges those restrictions were not followed.
According to the team’s latest motion, JGR claims Gabehart attended at least five, and potentially as many as 12, competition meetings at Spire. JGR also alleges Gabehart participated in discussions involving technical matters, including tire pressures and car setups.
The organization further argues that Spire enabled a workaround by giving Gabehart the Chief Motorsports Officer title and what it described as an “all things racing” role. JGR alleges that arrangement allowed Gabehart to continue participating in areas covered by the court’s restrictions despite carrying a different title.
Those remain JGR’s allegations. The filing itself does not establish that Gabehart or Spire violated the court’s orders, and the court will determine whether contempt or any other relief is warranted.
JGR Wants More Records From Spire
The dispute also extends to what JGR says Spire has produced during discovery.
According to the filing, JGR says Spire has turned over only one competition meeting video recording and three pages of notes despite testimony that Gabehart attended multiple competition meetings. The team is asking the court to require additional production.
JGR is also seeking costs and attorneys’ fees associated with bringing the contempt motion, along with any other relief the court determines is appropriate.
The latest motion follows months of escalating litigation between the organizations.
JGR’s lawsuit has centered on allegations that Gabehart improperly took or used confidential competition information after leaving the team. Gabehart has pushed back sharply. In his June counterclaim, he argued JGR had failed to identify a single piece of its information that he used, transmitted or disclosed to anyone at Spire. Spire similarly denied JGR’s allegations and accused the organization of attempting to hinder a competitor through litigation.
That underlying fight remains unresolved.
What has changed is the immediate question in front of the court. JGR is no longer only arguing over what Gabehart allegedly did when he left the organization. It is now alleging that Gabehart and Spire violated restrictions imposed after the lawsuit began, and it wants the court to act.
A trial on the broader dispute is currently scheduled for 2027.
Joe Gibbs Racing Takes Major Legal Action Against Spire, Chris Gabehart