NASCAR Cup Series Driver Penalized, Starting Lineup Updated for Darlington Race Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports faces a penalty that will significantly alter his starting position for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Originally qualified 16th, Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet will be moved to the rear of the field following a control arm adjustment made by the team. This penalty places him 36th in the 37-car grid, positioning him on the outside lane of the egg-shaped oval. The penalty will shift the starting positions of drivers who were originally behind Hocevar on the outside lane. Those drivers will move up one row (two positions) in the lineup. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Hyak Motorsports, who was slated to start 18th, will now begin in 16th place. Drivers on the inside lane will not see any changes due to Hocevar’s penalty. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota Justin Allgaier, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota John Hunter Nemechek, No.#nascar_cup_series #carson_hocevar #spire_motorsports #darlington_raceway #goodyear_400
Judge Rules Gabehart Can Work for Spire but Not in JGR Role A federal judge has ruled that Chris Gabehart, former competition director for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), can continue working for Spire Motorsports but cannot hold the same role he previously had with JGR. The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Susan C. Rodriguez in the Western District of North Carolina, allows Gabehart to remain in his position as chief motorsports officer at Spire, which oversees most of parent company TWG Global’s racing operations. The ruling follows a court order requiring both parties to attempt to resolve the dispute after a hearing on JGR’s motion for a restraining order. A full hearing on Gabehart’s employment is scheduled for March 16. Gabehart, who made his first public appearance as a Spire employee at the IndyCar event in St. Petersburg, Florida, is permitted to attend this weekend’s race at Phoenix Raceway, where both NASCAR and IndyCar are competing. TWG Motorsports also owns Andretti Global, an IndyCar team. The judge’s order also mandates that Gabehart return all data and materials he obtained from JGR to the team, which is owned by Joe Gibbs, the founder of the NASCAR organization. Gibbs, a member of both the Pro Football and NASCAR Halls of Fame, co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law, Heather. JGR has alleged that Gabehart stole sensitive data, including files and setups, causing over $8 million in damages. Spire has been named as a defendant in the case. Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson emphasized the company’s commitment to protecting trade secrets, stating, “We don’t want anybody else’s stuff, other than Hendrick, obviously.” Spire already has a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, which provides access to Hendrick’s data, the winningest team in NASCAR history.#joe_gibbs_racing #chris_gabehart #spire_motorsports #susana_c_rodriguez #twg_global
