This lawsuit between Joe Gibbs Racing, its former competition director, Chris Gabehart, and Spire Motorsports, which all parties have expressed that they don’t want to be a part of, is going to get a hell of a lot messier before things are all said and done.
It seems inevitable, especially when you take into account a late-night chair shot that came from Denny Hamlin in the form of a reply to a video on X.
Before we get into Hamlin’s response to the video, let’s lay a little bit of foundation with what prompted Hamlin’s sharp retort.
On Thursday, Jeff Dickerson, a co-owner of the Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team, dropped by Jeff Gluck’s Gluckcast for an interview, and during the interview, Gluck brought up the topic of the ongoing legal situation between Spire and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Gluck asked why Spire Motorsports is still a defendant in the lawsuit, despite a recent temporary restraining order awarded to Joe Gibbs Racing stating that JGR had demonstrated a likelihood of success in its case against Gabehart, but not against Spire.
Dickerson, obviously, felt it was a good question from Gluck and said that he’s confused as to why Spire remains listed as a defendant in the case, as Joe Gibbs Racing has not shown a single piece of proof or evidence showing that Spire has stolen any proprietary information from Joe Gibbs Racing.
From the Gluckcast today, Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson had some strong comments in defense of his team in the JGR/Gabehart lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/wQQeembqYB
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) April 30, 2026
“I will say that it is tough sitting in court, and being called a liar, and a thief, and a cheater. And every time the Judge has asked for any evidence, they have produced nothing. Nothing,” Dickerson said. “And that’s not my opinion, there [are] media people and observers there that have witnessed the same thing. So, that part is tough.”
Dickerson reiterated that Spire Motorsports has done everything the right way and has taken no shortcuts on their path to relevancy in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dickerson then said it was wrong for Joe Gibbs Racing to link the recent improvement in performance from Spire to the hiring of Gabehart, as he says Gabehart’s role within the team has nothing to do with the competition department of the Cup Series program.
“You know, even Monday, they filed something after the win [at Talladega], and essentially were linking it back to Chris. And I’ll tell you what upsets me: not only is Chris not in that role, but they’re minimizing what happens here,” Dickerson explained. “They’re minimizing the 175 people here. Like, we couldn’t win without them, right? And I don’t even just mean like without Chris, they’re implying that we can’t win without JGR data.”
Dickerson pointed to Spire’s technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history, as evidence that they don’t need additional data from JGR to succeed.
After catching up on what all was said in the interview, Denny Hamlin, who is the co-owner of 23XI Racing, and one of the four full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing, was having none of what Dickerson was selling in his interview on Gluck’s show.
“Yeah, okay buddy. You hired someone who stole tens of millions [of dollars] worth of information, lied about communications y’all had after you deleted them and now is getting paid double to work on your truck program? GTFO,” Hamlin posted on X.
Hamlin, who was locked in a legal battle with NASCAR in an offseason antitrust lawsuit, then referenced something that came up in behind-the-scenes communications between Dickerson and others in discovery during that lawsuit.
“What was it you called Richard [Childress] again?” Hamlin asked.
For those not up with the whole inner-workings of the 23XI/Front Row vs NASCAR lawsuit, Dickerson was shown calling Richard Childress, the owner of Richard Childress Racing, “a cuck,” for how he appeared when he invited President Donald Trump to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2024 Coca-Cola 600.
Hamlin then ended his reply by questioning whether it was Dickerson who was the mole during Race Team Alliance meetings, who was leaking information to NASCAR brass during the 2025 Charter Negotiations.
“Was it you who was leaking information after RTA calls?” Hamlin asked.
Yeah, okay buddy. You hired someone who stole tens of millions worth of information, lied about communications y’all had after you deleted them and now is getting paid double to work on your truck program? GTFO.
What was it you called Richard again?
Was it you who was leaking…— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 1, 2026
Sheesh, that escalated quickly.
In Dickerson’s defense, no evidence has been shown in court that showcases that Spire Motorsports has acted improperly. However, it has to be noted that the expedited discovery has not included the deleted communications between Gabehart and Spire in the lead-up to Gabehart being hired after his stint with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Gabehart has already admitted to taking data, including car setup files and screenshots of financial information relating to Joe Gibbs Racing, but insists that he has not shared any of the data with Spire Motorsports.
Hamlin, who was forced by his legal team to keep his talking to a minimum during 23XI Racing’s trial against NASCAR, seemingly will not be muzzled this time around, as he isn’t a named party in the lawsuit. This could lead to more late-night drama on social media as this whole case unfolds, publicly.
