Joe Gibbs Racing’s legal dispute with former competition director Chris Gabehart took another turn this week, as Gabehart issued a detailed response to allegations tied to NASCAR’s Bristol race weekend.
In filings first reported by Motorsport.com’s Matt Weaver, Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that Gabehart violated a court-imposed restraining order during the event. Gabehart has denied those claims.
Gabehart Denies Competition Involvement
In a formal declaration, Gabehart said his actions at Bristol were routine and did not involve any competition-related responsibilities.
“My use of radio equipment and proximity to Spire personnel at Bristol was entirely routine,” Gabehart said. “Hundreds of individuals at NASCAR Cup Series events — including owners, executives, sponsor representatives, and administrative personnel — commonly wear radios when Cup cars are on track and stand in similar proximity to their teams.”
He added that he did not communicate or participate in race strategy.
“The radios allow team personnel to listen to the team radio traffic to monitor team performance. The driver, crew chief and spotter are the ones communicating over the radio on competition matters. I did not,” Gabehart said. “As the photographs indicate, I only wore earbuds with no microphone and therefore had no way to communicate via the radio, I could just listen to the radio traffic. Accordingly, I did not discuss any competition-related issues on the radio.”
Photos at Center of Dispute
As part of its filings, Joe Gibbs Racing submitted photographs taken during the Bristol weekend, which the organization says support its claims.
Gabehart disputed that interpretation, arguing the images do not reflect competition-related involvement.
“Two photos in particular illustrate the silliness of JGR’s spies taking pictures so my replacement, Mr. (Wally) Brown, can speak out under oath about what JGR’s lawyers want the Court to believe I was doing,” Gabehart said.
He also described the context behind those moments.
“I was looking up at the speedway’s Jumbotron watching television coverage of qualifying,” Gabehart said.
“I was watching two monitors mounted on a cart: one showing the live TV broadcast of practice and the other showing the real-time ranking order of the teams and drivers in the practice session and their corresponding lap times,” he added. “Again, despite Mr. Brown’s speculation under oath, I was not performing any services in a Competition Director-type role at Bristol.”
Ongoing Legal Fight
The dispute stems from a broader lawsuit filed by Joe Gibbs Racing, which alleges Gabehart violated non-compete terms and improperly handled confidential competition-related information after joining Spire Motorsports.
A temporary restraining order currently allows Gabehart to remain employed in a leadership role, while restricting his involvement in competition-related activities at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
The key issue now is whether his actions at Bristol fall within or outside those restrictions.
What Comes Next
Joe Gibbs Racing is expected to continue pursuing the matter in court, using the Bristol incident as part of its case.
Gabehart and Spire Motorsports have denied wrongdoing, and the dispute remains unresolved as legal proceedings continue.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chris Gabehart Responds to JGR Accusations, Denies Bristol Misconduct in New Statement appeared first on Heavy Sports.