In a shocking turn of events, Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against its former competition director, Chris Gabehart, alleging that he stole sensitive information to benefit Spire Motorsports. The lawsuit claims that Gabehart embarked on a “brazen scheme” to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.
Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against its former competition director, Chris Gabehart, alleging that he stole sensitive information to benefit Spire Motorsports. The lawsuit claims that Gabehart embarked on a “brazen scheme” to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.
According to the lawsuit, Gabehart met with team owner Joe Gibbs on November 6, 2025, and demanded authority that would give him “carte blanche” over all racing decisions. When Gibbs declined to give Gabehart that power, Gabehart informed Gibbs that he preferred to leave JGR, and the two parties began working towards what JGR believed was an “amicable” and “generous” separation agreement.
However, JGR says it became “suspicious” of Gabehart’s intentions when it learned he had already allegedly met with Jeff Dickerson, the owner of Spire. JGR says it then conducted a forensic investigation of Gabehart’s JGR-owned laptop and found “shocking” results.
What is Chris Gabehart Accused of Doing?
JGR claims that its forensic investigation revealed that Gabehart allegedly synced his personal Google Drive with his JGR laptop, repeatedly conducted online research about Spire while he was still employed by JGR, had a Google Drive folder titled “Spire,” and captured “more than a dozen” photos the day after his meeting with Gibbs — November 7 — that contained “images of JGR files containing Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.”
Additionally, JGR alleges that the photos also contained “comprehensive post-race audit and analyses of team and driver performance” for the entire 2025 season, complete team payroll details and compensation plans, pit crew analytics for the 2024 NASCAR season, and “detailed analytics of racecar tires used to assess impact on race results.”
JGR says it learned on February 11 that Gabehart had taken the position as Spire’s chief motorsports officer, a role in which he “would be responsible for all of Spire’s racing strategy and operations,” which JGR contends is similar to what he did for them as competition director.
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