{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-10/joe-gibbs-racing-spire-smith-payment","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-10/joe-gibbs-racing-spire-smith-payment.md","title":"Joe Gibbs Racing Pays Spire $100,000 in Smith Dispute","headline":"Joe Gibbs Racing Pays Spire Motorsports $100,000 to Resolve Car Chief Counterclaim","description":"Joe Gibbs Racing paid Spire Motorsports $100,000 plus $8,087.67 in interest to clear a counterclaim over car chief Cheddar Smith.","section":"Legal & Disputes","published_at":"2026-11-10T04:15:20+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-10T04:15:20+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Joe Gibbs Racing paid Spire Motorsports $100,000 plus $8,087.67 in legal interest on November 6, 2026.","Spire countersued JGR on June 25 over the release of car chief Cheddar Smith to the No. 54 car.","A separate trade-secrets trial involving Chris Gabehart is scheduled to begin February 1."],"companies":[{"name":"Joe Gibbs Racing","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0006qkn/joe-gibbs-racing","website":"http://joegibbsracing.com"},{"name":"Spire Motorsports","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00q532j/spire-motorsports","website":"https://www.spire-motorsports.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Yahoo","title":"Joe Gibbs Racing moves to resolve one portion of Spire countersuit","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/joe-gibbs-racing-moves-resolve-031510544.html"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Legal & Disputes","Joe Gibbs Racing","Spire Motorsports"],"body_markdown":"[Joe Gibbs Racing](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0006qkn/joe-gibbs-racing) paid Spire Motorsports $100,000 plus $8,087.67 in legal interest on November 6, 2026, to resolve a counterclaim over car chief Cheddar Smith's release, according to [Yahoo](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/joe-gibbs-racing-moves-resolve-031510544.html). The team asked the court to dismiss Spire's counterclaims, while a separate trade-secrets trial is set for February 1.\n\n## Joe Gibbs Racing's Payment to Spire Motorsports\n\nSpire countersued JGR on June 25 over how Smith ended up on the No. 54 car with driver Ty Gibbs. Spire said it agreed in April 2025 to release Smith in exchange for an equal-level JGR employee or a $100,000 payment, and alleged JGR never facilitated its part of the agreement.\n\nJGR said it has paid Spire and that the payment was accepted. \"The Court need not resolve that dispute to dispose of Spire's counterclaims, because every one of them now fails for the same reason: there is nothing left to recover,\" the team said in its filing. JGR added that it disputes a trade agreement was ever formed but made the payment to avoid further dispute.\n\nJGR Chief Commercial Officer Eric Schaffer detailed the amount in a declaration: $100,000 plus $8,087.67 in legal interest from November 2, 2025 through November 6, 2026, calculated at eight percent simple interest per annum for 369 days.\n\nJGR has separately sued Chris Gabehart, its former competition director who left for [Spire Motorsports](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00q532j/spire-motorsports), on claims he misappropriated trade secrets. Gabehart denies the claims and says nothing proprietary was taken to or used at Spire. Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson said on a podcast in October 2026 that JGR has not provided evidence in the intellectual property theft lawsuit, according to Yahoo.\n\n## Joe Gibbs Racing's Trade-Secret Case Background\n\nJoe Gibbs Racing is a privately held NASCAR team based in Huntersville, North Carolina, fielding four Cup Series entries and four O'Reilly Series entries with Toyota, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The team filed an $8 million trade-secret misappropriation lawsuit against Spire Motorsports and Gabehart in 2025, with a jury trial scheduled for February 1, 2027 in U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina.\n\n## Earlier Filings in the Joe Gibbs Racing Suit\n\nIn October 2026, JGR sought $150 million in damages in its lawsuit against Spire and Gabehart, Yahoo reported, citing Spire's brief that JGR's damages expert estimated $47.4 million in trade-secret losses with punitive damages bringing the total to $150 million. A magistrate judge that month ordered both sides to produce final race setups and competition meeting notes, Yahoo reported. Judge Susan Rodriguez also heard arguments on whether Gabehart violated court restrictions after leaving JGR and did not rule, Yahoo reported.\n\n## What Comes Next in the Spire Motorsports Case\n\nThe trade-secrets trial is scheduled to begin on February 1.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}