Daniel Suarez understands the feeling of being sidelined within a team, having experienced that during his later tenure at Trackhouse Racing. Despite this, he remained engaged in discussions and contributed to development efforts. This experience influenced Suarez’s careful response when news emerged that Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) had filed a lawsuit against Chris Gabehart over alleged data misuse.
Background of the Lawsuit and Gabehart’s Potential Move
Before December, reports suggested Chris Gabehart might join Spire Motorsports. The lawsuit from JGR alleges that Gabehart had access to confidential setups and other proprietary information, which he intended to bring to the rival team. Suarez, now driving for Spire, chose not to assign blame amid these tensions.
Shared Past at Joe Gibbs Racing
Suarez and Gabehart share history at JGR, where Suarez competed in 2017-18 while Gabehart held a crew chief position. Speaking at a recent media session about Gabehart’s potential at Spire, Suarez highlighted Gabehart’s competitiveness and intelligence.
“Yeah, you know, actually, Chris (Gabehart) and I, we fought for the championship back in 2016. He was the crew chief for Erik Jones, and I was with Scott Graves. He’s extremely smart and extremely competitive,”
Suarez stated.
He added,
“At the time, he was a crew chief. I have nothing but respect for him. Obviously, you know, I never really got to work with him… only one race, actually, in 2017. I have nothing but respect for him. He was extremely fast in 2016.”
“He was the biggest threat for us to win the championship with Erik Jones. So, I have nothing but respect for everything that he has done in his career,”
Suarez continued.
Current Situation and Future Prospects
Suarez, now settled in the No. 7 car at Spire Motorsports, began his season with a 13th place finish at Daytona and is already turning his attention to the upcoming race in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Gabehart’s situation remains unresolved as the legal dispute with JGR continues, placing any potential move to Spire on hold until matters are settled.
