As the ebbs and flows of the 2026 NASCAR Cup series continue, the one constant recurring event has been the various updates on the JGR vs Gabehart lawsuit. 

The nature of the work that Chris Gabehart performs has come up several times in recent hearings with JGR, alleging that Gabehart has been violating his non-compete clause by performing duties similar to those of his competition director role at JGR.

In the midst of all of this are the Spire drivers. Daniel Suarez, who won the Coca-Cola 600 that ended under caution, was asked about how things are going at Spire. Suarez spoke about how he hoped that Gabehart was more present when strategies and team planning were discussed. 

Journalist Matt Weaver asked Suarez to confirm whether Gabehart was leading the competition meeting. The No. 7 Spire Chevrolet driver responded, “I wish it was. I wish he were, but now he’s not. I barely see the guy.”

While Suarez said that Gabehart isn’t leading the meetings, the questions arrived after JGR’s last filing, where they claimed that a Spire employee told a JGR employee that Gabehart is leading the meetings and Spire employees have been asked to not reveal the details of Gabehart’s work. 

Suarez, while speaking to the press in Chicagoland, said, “A lot of things that we still believe that we can get more of. We have great people, and some people are working very hard, and some other people, like Chris Gabehart, he’s an amazing asset- but we can’t even use the guy right now. I barely see him once a month.”

As the lawsuit continues to loom large over both JGR and Spire, as well as Gabehart, Daniel Suarez still believes that Spire is on the rise and said as much. 

Suarez says Spire getting better 

While Chris Gabehart has been forbidden from performing any kind of competition director level of actives at Spire, the trial will get underway in January as all parties look to bring this saga to an end. 

In the meantime, JGR believes that the information that they accused Gabehart of stealing and handing over to Spire has helped Spire get their two wins this season. While all of this continues in the background, Carson Hocevar has proven to be a real threat on most circuits. 

Daniel Suarez, too, is slowly gaining confidence in the car. In the same conversation with the press, Suarez spoke about Spire’s progress. He said:

“This potential is very big, and we’re gonna continue to get better and better. I’m super excited for what is coming for Spire Motorsports. We’re not in a bad spot at all, but we’re very greedy; you will want more.”

"Hopefully, slowly, we can get better and better and be real championship contenders because, like you said, now we can win a race or two, here and there we can be competitive, we can be upfront, but to be a championship contender you have to be there every single week.”

Suraez remains confident about the upward graph of Spire and hopes the performance they are looking for comes soon. He currently sits 9th in the rankings, but with 8 races remaining, that order could shuffle very quickly. The Mexican will have to protect his 83-point gap to 16th. 

Who do you think is suffering the most because of the lawsuit? Share your thoughts.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason