NASCAR 2026: Joe Gibbs Racing accuses Cup Series rival of cheating as lawsuit drama continues

The ongoing NASCAR lawsuit drama between Joe Gibbs Racing and Spire Motorsports continued on Thursday, with the latter accused of cheating by their rivals.

Following the Daytona 500 in February, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit against their former Director of Competition, Chris Gabehart, claiming that he "embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR - Spire Motorsports."

Gabehart denies any wrongdoing and initially dismissed the claims as 'baseless'. Following that, Spire Motorsports then confirmed his appointment as the organization’s Chief Motorsports Officer, and Joe Gibbs Racing subsequently added Spire's name to the lawsuit.

Joe Gibbs Racing also sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that Gabehart must "cease and desist working or performing any services for Spire similar to those he provided to JGR for the 18 months following February 9, 2026”.

This was partially granted, and was extended for a further 14 days in court on Thursday.

Spire Motorsports accused of cheating

However, the attention-grabbing moment of the day in the Western District of North Carolina court came when Joe Gibbs Racing's attorneys flat-out accused Spire Motorsports of cheating by hiring Gabehart and using their intellectual property to improve their own organization.

According to AP, Tom Melsheimer, attorney for Joe Gibbs Racing, alleged that Spire Motorsports was motivated to do so after poor results in 2025, and having only won one Cup race since they were founded in 2018.

“One win gives them a motive to take shortcuts, hire Gabehart, and we think it's cheating,” Meslheimer told the court.

“Being behind gives them a motive as a struggling company seeking to gain an unfair advantage.”

Spire Motorsports attorney hits back

Speaking outside the court later in the day, Spire Motorsports attorney Lawrence Cameron hit back, claiming that Joe Gibbs Racing was not backing up their claims and that they could not do so, because they didn't happen.

“If you remember, JGR alleged that we had stolen their secret sauce, right?” Cameron told the media outside court, via Bob Pockrass.

“They specifically said that they knew of, Spire that is, knew of and encouraged the stealing of JGR's secret sauce, and what's been discussed in court today, and in the court filings, is essentially a spreadsheet with some publicly available data.

“I mean, there just is no evidence to support those allegations of Spire, because it didn't happen.

“Spire doesn't want their data, didn’t ask for their data, doesn't need their data, and we look forward to seeing them on the racetrack.”

Judge Susan C. Rodriguez will now take more time to consider the case before deciding on the preliminary injunction that Joe Gibbs Racing is seeking against Chris Gabehart and Spire after electing not to rule on Thursday.

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