Spire Motorsports has confirmed the appointment of Chris Gabehart as their new Chief Motorsports Officer.
Gabehart became the center of NASCAR's latest legal drama last Thursday, when his former team Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they are taking legal action against him for allegedly stealing confidential information.
The 44-year-old has furiously denied the claims, calling the lawsuit 'spiteful' and 'baseless', and has promised a full legal response in the coming days.
Gabehart had worked for JGR since 2012, most notably serving as Denny Hamlin's crew chief on the No. 11 car from 2019 through 2024, before being promoted to a new role as the team's competition director for the 2025 season. He announced his departure in early December last year.
READ MORE: Who is Chris Gabehart? The man at the heart of $8million-plus Joe Gibbs Racing lawsuit
Drivers react to JGR lawsuit
Some drivers were asked about the matter at Atlanta this week, with JGR's Christopher Bell keeping things simple and replying: “That’s way above my head."
Meanwhile Daniel Suarez, who moved to Spire from Trackhouse Racing this winter, said: “Yeah, you know, actually, Chris (Gabehart) and I, we fought for the championship back in 2016. He was the crew chief for Erik Jones, and I was with Scott Graves. He’s extremely smart and extremely competitive.”
“At the time, he was a crew chief. I have nothing but respect for him. Obviously, you know, I never really got to work with him… only one race, actually, in 2017. I have nothing but respect for him. He was extremely fast in 2016.
“He was the biggest threat for us to win the championship with Erik Jones. So, I have nothing but respect for everything that he has done in his career."
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