標籤: feud

The lawsuit between Joe Gibbs Racing, Chris Gebhardt and Spire Motorsports has turned into a NASCAR civil war, and fans are choosing sides. At this point, it seems like half of NASCAR fans are arguing about it online every day.

It all started when JGR accused their former competition director, Gabehart, of taking confidential competition data and trade secrets before leaving for Spire Motorsports. He also refused to share sensitive information with the team. The case already involves claims of deleted messages, forensic examination of devices, cease-and-desist orders and public firings from both sides.

And when Carson Hocevar led Speer to a shocking Talladega win, the debate reached a whole other level.

Joe Gibbs Racing threw a curveball by amending its lawsuit to imply that Spire’s sudden jump was due to Gabehart stealing confidential data and trade secrets from the organization. And to rub it in, JGR took aim at Spire’s social media posts celebrating his win and said in court papers that the team was basically ridiculing the allegations.

Around the same time, Denny Hamlin publicly criticized Spire owner Jeff Dickerson online, accusing the team of “hiring someone who stole information worth millions.” Those comments, along with JGR’s repeated claims that Spire’s rise was linked to inaccurate data, prompted fans to take sides almost immediately.

Now, NASCAR fans are divided. Some fans think that JGR is completely justified and is protecting its “secret sauce”. Others feel the team is going after a weak team that has finally started winning.

A lot of fans didn’t like the timing

One thing that immediately rubbed people the wrong way was the fact that JGR was placing more emphasis on the lawsuit right after Spire’s win at Talladega.

For many fans, the timing seemed emotional. Chaos happens almost every year at Talladega, so a lot of people didn’t like the idea that a superspeedway win suddenly proved that Spire had some massive technical advantage.

On Reddit, one fan said that JGR had “definitely crazy ex-feelings”. Another called the whole thing “absolutely sour grapes.”

Fans also pointed out that several Gibbs cars crashed or made mistakes during the race, which led some to find the allegations even weaker.

Is Spier winning because of Gabhart or because he’s just good?

Everyone keeps coming back to this argument.

A lot of fans think that Gabehart bested Spier simply because he is one of the smartest competitors in the garage.

People kept repeating versions of the same point online: You can’t expect someone to “wipe their brains out” when they leave a race team.

Others questioned how useful six-month-old setup data is even in the next-gen era, where teams are constantly changing things from week to week.

Some fans also think that Joe Gibbs Racing is more interested in making an example of Gebhardt than proving actual damage.

However many fans think that if the files were actually taken then JGR has every right to keep their information safe. One Reddit user wrote, “If there is proof that Gabhart stole IP from them, JGR is 100% justified.”

Another fan compared it to corporate espionage and said that his company would “destroy” any competitor if it was caught carrying internal data.

Spire suddenly became a fan favorite

For a surprising number of fans, Spire has become the underdog in all this.

Jeff Dickerson’s public comments incensed people, especially when he claimed that “the process is the punishment” and insisted that Spier “took no shortcuts.”

Even court cases have become online entertainment.

Now the legal dispute between Joe Gibbs Racing and former employee Chris Gabehart has taken another important turn when a judge has officially scheduled the case for trial in January 2027.

According to reports from the latest hearing, both sides insisted on very different timelines before the court reached a compromise decision.

As RACER.com writer Kelly Crandall reported on social media, “Judge Susan Rodriguez has ordered that the Chris Gabehardt/Spire Motorsports vs. Joe Gibbs Racing trial move to January 2027. Both sides argued for their proposed dates in a telephonic hearing yesterday (Gibbs wanted November and Spire/Gabehart wanted May 2027).”

The January 2027 date effectively split the difference.

My love for motorsports began as a child watching races with my family in Tunisia. Fast forward to today… more about Farah Ben Gamra

Kyle Busch made headlines before this weekend’s NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway by suggesting he could get paid for comments he made earlier in the week about Denny Hamlin. Since Busch’s on-track performance isn’t adding anything to the feud, he’s now working behind the microphone.

In a recent interview, Busch said that Hamlin played the role of the villainous driver who is winning too much. However, they are not talking much, leaving Hamlin to “run his mouth” and say he “might have to face him again here soon” and that Busch has been “washed up” as a driver.

“He has his own podcast and he’s been running his mouth lately so he might be here again soon… He’s been telling me I’m tired and can’t drive anymore.”

RELATED: NASCAR Insider Highlights Kyle Busch’s Options in Free Agency

To set the record straight, Hamlin never said his former partner was washed up or could no longer drive. Instead, on last week’s episode of Actions Detrimental, the driver of the No. 11 car said Busch should “take it better” amid Richard Childress Racing’s ongoing struggles. Hamlin also said that anyone still holding out hope that Busch would regain his former glory as a consistent winner will be “very disappointed” because the 40-year-old “doesn’t know how to get speed out of a Next Gen car on a consistent basis.”

Hamlin, who has scored 12 Cup Series wins since his last trip to Victory Lane in Busch’s No. 8 car, also compared himself to Busch, saying he “can’t catch that guy’s helmet talent-wise”. Apparently, Bush didn’t hear that part of the segment. It’s also notable that when Busch was on the podcast last year, Hamlin credited him with developing his career.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin gives clear message on Kyle Busch’s struggles

Busch also revealed his “hate list” of fellow NASCAR drivers, which includes Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski. As with Hamlin, the only problem he may cause for them is when he’s going to lag, and probably not for the first time in that race.

NASCAR statistics support this. Over the last six races, Busch ranks 31st in average finishing position (25), which puts him well behind Hamlin (5.3, second), Keselowski (10.0, sixth), Hocevar (14.3, 13th) and even the struggling Logano (19.8, 21st).

RELATED: Kyle Busch winless streak, what’s happened since and before last win

Even in the last 15 races leading up to Talladega, Busch is 21st in average finishing position (20.6), while Hamlin is fifth (11.8), Keselowski is sixth (12.5), Logano is 12th (15.3), and even Hocevar (19.6) is slightly ahead of the future Hall of Famer. None of these drivers can really see Busch as a rival because he is not providing them any competition.

Busch’s frustration with RCR is obvious, but what has brought his struggles even more into the spotlight is that Dillon has been performing better than him this season. Both are forced to deal with RCR providing inadequate support, but the driver of the No. 3 car is handling it better and producing better results.

Notably, Hamlin did not respond to Busch’s weekend comments during Monday’s episode of Actions Detrimental. It will be interesting to see how things play out between the two drivers in the coming weeks, when Hamlin will inevitably tie Busch for a career Cup win and ultimately surpass him this season.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series all-time win list, including Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Speculation over a possible rift between Luka Doncic and JJ Redick was put to rest Tuesday when ESPN insider Dave McMenamin publicly addressed the situation, saying there is no feud between the Los Angeles Lakers star and head coach.

Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Today, McMenamin spoke at length with league and team sources after video of Saturday’s 129-101 win over the Golden State Warriors circulated online.

“I checked with people around the league and within the team and I’ll let you know my report,” McMenamin said. “A source around the league said when they saw the video – L.A. is different, the smallest thing turns into the biggest thing. A source close to Luka told me that he and JJ have a strong, close relationship that goes back almost a decade and they are both extremely competitive and they push each other.”

The moment in question came when Doncic exited the game and headed to the bench. Redick grabbed Doncic’s wrist in an apparent attempt to talk him down. Doncic pulled out and remained in his seat, while Redick followed him. The two exchanged words before Reddick walked away. Doncic then stood as if continuing a conversation, while Jared Vanderbilt stood beside him to prevent him from moving forward.

“If you’ve been around an NBA basketball team full of guys who live to compete, sometimes it gets a little messy when they’re trying to move toward a common goal.”@mcten On the relationship between Luka Doncic and JJ Redick pic.twitter.com/T9eK9L5Tsv

– NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) 3 March 2026

Lakers insider shuts down speculation about Luka Doncic-JJ Redick feud

The altercation quickly spread on social media, leading to speculation that there was tension between the franchise’s key player and the first-year head coach.

McMenamin continued by emphasizing the competitive context behind the exchange.

“A team source said, “Find me a star in the NBA who isn’t down in the middle of a three-game losing streak, and so it’s much ado about nothing, but we know the Internet loves to entertain itself. In this case, if you’ve been around an NBA basketball team that lives to compete, sometimes it gets a little messy when they’re trying to move toward a common goal.”

The Los Angeles Lakers have faced intense scrutiny throughout the season, especially after the high-profile acquisition of Doncic and Redick’s transition from analyst to head coach. Competitive exchanges between players and coaches are common in NBA locker rooms, especially during offseasons.

Los Angeles entered Tuesday night’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans in sixth place in the Western Conference with a score of 36-24. The Lakers will look to extend their two-game winning streak as they continue their push toward the postseason.