Building a competitive NASCAR Cup Series team isn’t cheap. Building one capable of challenging the sport’s established powerhouses is an entirely different undertaking.
Just ask Spire Motorsports.
The organization has spent the past several years pouring resources into its racing operation, expanding its driver lineup, acquiring equipment and bringing in experienced personnel. Now, newly filed court documents offer a rare look at just how much money has gone into that effort.
Spire’s annual Cup Series expenses climbed from $13.9 million in 2022 to a staggering $50 million in 2025, according to financial figures submitted Friday, Oct. 16, in the ongoing legal dispute involving Joe Gibbs Racing, Chris Gabehart and Spire.
That’s an increase of $36.1 million, or nearly 260%, in just three years.
FOX Sports NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass shared the court exhibits Friday, including a breakdown of Spire’s annual spending and an organizational chart detailing the people behind its Cup Series operation.
Spire Motorsports’ NASCAR Spending Jumps Nearly 260%
The numbers offer a revealing look at how quickly Spire has grown.
In 2022, the organization reported $13.9 million in Cup Series expenses. By 2023, that figure had increased to $17.9 million.
Then came 2024.
Spire’s spending more than doubled in a single year, jumping to $37.9 million as the organization expanded from two full-time Cup Series entries to three.
| Year | Cup Series expenses |
| 2022 | $13.9 million |
| 2023 | $17.9 million |
| 2024 | $37.9 million |
| 2025 | $50 million |
The expansion wasn’t limited to adding another car to the starting grid.
In September 2023, Spire purchased a third Cup Series charter from Live Fast Motorsports for a reported $40 million. The organization also acquired Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Truck Series operation and its 77,000-square-foot facility in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Those moves reflected a much larger ambition: transforming Spire from a smaller Cup operation into a three-car organization with the personnel, equipment and infrastructure to compete at a higher level.
The financial exhibit doesn’t provide a breakdown of individual acquisitions, so the $40 million charter purchase shouldn’t be confused with the team’s annual operating expenses. Still, the timing illustrates just how aggressively Spire was expanding.
And the spending continued.
By 2025, Spire’s annual Cup expenses had reached $50 million, another $12.1 million increase over the previous year.
The organization brought in veteran driver Michael McDowell to pilot the No. 71 Chevrolet, along with crew chief Travis Peterson. It also invested in experienced competition personnel, including Rodney Childers and Dax Gerringer.
All of that investment came with expectations.
Spire finished the 2025 Cup Series season without a victory, a reminder that spending more money doesn’t automatically translate into winning races.
But the figures make one thing difficult to dispute: Spire was committing serious resources to its effort to become a stronger NASCAR organization.
NASCAR Lawsuit Offers Rare Look Inside Spire’s Cup Series Operation
The spending figures surfaced as part of the ongoing legal dispute involving Joe Gibbs Racing, former competition director Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports.
JGR has accused Gabehart of improperly retaining confidential information and violating restrictions connected to his former position. Gabehart and Spire have disputed those allegations.
Among the exhibits filed Friday was an organizational chart showing how Spire’s Cup Series competition department is structured.
Matt McCall oversees the competition operation, with Ryan Sparks, Luke Lambert and Travis Peterson listed as crew chiefs for the Nos. 7, 77 and 71, respectively.
Beyond the three race teams, the chart details the larger operation required to put those cars on the track each weekend. Engineers, fabricators, assembly personnel and other specialists all play roles that fans rarely see on race day.
That’s part of what makes the documents so interesting.
NASCAR teams generally keep their operating budgets close to the vest. Fans see the cars, drivers, sponsors and results, but rarely get a detailed look at the money behind the operation.
There is, however, an important distinction in the newly disclosed figures.
The $50 million represents Spire’s reported annual Cup Series expenses in 2025. It does not represent the organization’s revenue, nor does it establish whether the team made or lost money.
What it does show is the financial scale of Spire’s transformation.
In three years, the organization went from spending $13.9 million annually on its Cup Series program to $50 million.
That kind of growth doesn’t guarantee trophies. But it offers a telling glimpse into what Spire Motorsports has been willing to invest in the pursuit of them.
NASCAR Team’s Staggering $50 Million Spending Revealed in Court Documents