JGR Lawsuit: What Confidential Information Was Allegedly Taken?

What’s Happening?

Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that former competition director Chris Gabehart took a wide range of confidential team information regarding competitive performance data, engineering processes, financial records, and internal personnel details. But what exactly do the documents say was taken?

• Performance, payroll, and financial data stored on personal devices: The lawsuit claims that numerous internal photos were saved to Gabehart’s personal phone and Google Photos account, which JGR says were not approved for confidential storage and were accessible to third parties, including his spouse. These images allegedly included post-race audits for the entire 2025 season, detailed team payroll information with contracts and compensation structures, tools for projecting employee pay, driver salaries for multiple seasons, sponsor and partner revenue figures, pit crew analytics, and tire performance analyses.
• Extensive race analytics and proprietary setup files: Within the “Spire” folder, JGR says investigators found deeply technical documents tied to competitive performance. This allegedly included 140+ pages of post-race data analysis from a 2025 Las Vegas event detailing what metrics the team measures and how it measures them, as well as more than 20 “eLap” files generated by proprietary software. These reports incorporate inputs from hundreds of employees, historical databases, and simulation work to determine optimal racecar setups, which means it effectively represents the culmination of years of institutional knowledge.
• Driver feedback systems and engineering intelligence: The complaint also references internal post-race debrief surveys completed by drivers after each event, which document both subjective feedback and structured data collection. Additional documents allegedly covered proprietary engine output information and recommended gear-shift points, along with photos of racecar diffuser skirts showing damage after a 2025 race.
• Tire strategy, logistics, and fuel-modeling methods: Several documents reportedly describe how JGR selects, manages, and cycles tires during races. Others detail initiatives for transporting equipment and racecars more efficiently while improving communication among engineers. The filing also mentions proprietary fuel-mileage estimation models for both JGR drivers and competitors, including methods used to refine accuracy during races.
• Compensation records and competitive performance comparisons: Investigators allegedly found spreadsheets listing base salaries and bonus structures for key team personnel, along with documents comparing a JGR driver’s performance at a specific race to that of a Spire driver using JGR’s proprietary analytical tools. JGR argues that both categories of information are highly sensitive.
• Alleged recruitment of JGR personnel: In addition to the data itself, Gabehart allegedly attempted to recruit JGR employees to join him at Spire. The complaint states that he had access to payroll information for all drivers and employees, which JGR suggests could have supported those efforts. According to the filing, at least one employee has already left JGR for Spire.

What JGR Is Seeking From the Lawsuit

JGR states it is entitled to damages believed to exceed $8 million, potentially subject to enhancement, along with attorneys’ fees. The organization is also seeking multiple forms of relief, expected to exceed that amount, as well as a cease-and-desist order to prevent any use or disclosure of what it describes as trade secrets.

You can learn more about the lawsuit itself, the circumstances surrounding Gabehart’s departure, and the broader allegations in the article linked below