Joe Gibbs Racing's aircraft lands in Sacramento amid escalating Spire lawsuit

Joe Gibbs Racing's Bombardier CRJ-700 (N520JG) was tracked flying from Oklahoma City to Sacramento International Airport on June 25, arriving after a three-hour, five-minute flight from Will Rogers World Airport.

If Joe Gibbs Racing representatives were aboard, the arrival comes the same week the organization is pressing its second amended lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports in federal court, per a June 16 filing cited by Heavy. The amended complaint alleges Gabehart continues to lead competition strategy at Spire in violation of his non-compete, and that Spire employees were instructed not to discuss his role. The judge has yet to rule on Joe Gibbs Racing's request for an injunction to bar Gabehart from working at Spire, as AP News reported after a four-hour hearing in Charlotte.

The flight to Sacramento — far from NASCAR's typical Southern hubs — may be linked to Spire's ownership ties; Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson is based in California, and depositions or settlement discussions could be taking place in the region. Joe Gibbs Racing has argued it suffered irreparable harm from the alleged misappropriation of setup sheets and financial data, with a trial scheduled later this year. The aircraft's prior hop from the Greenville-Spartanburg area to Oklahoma City earlier the same day suggests a multi-stop itinerary tied to the team's legal and racing operations.