Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information and intended to use it to benefit Spire Motorsports.
The organization is seeking financial compensation and a court order to prevent Gabehart from using or disclosing what it describes as proprietary data and trade secrets obtained during his tenure. In the filing, JGR states that Gabehart had access to sensitive technical, strategic, and operational information while serving in one of the team’s highest leadership roles. His employment contract, submitted as part of the case, shows he earned about $1 million annually plus performance bonuses. The team argues that such information could provide a competitive advantage if shared with another organization.
In its complaint letter, JGR alleges that Chris Gabehart synchronized his personal Google Drive with his team-issued laptop, allowing confidential files to be copied outside the organization. Investigators also allegedly found a Google Drive folder labeled “Spire,” including a subfolder titled “Past Setups,” along with more than a dozen photos of the laptop screen taken in November 2025 that allegedly showed sensitive internal documents. The filing also states that Gabehart conducted online research about Spire Motorsports during the same period, which JGR cites as evidence that the information was intended for the competing team.
The filing also states that JGR learned on February 11, 2026, that Gabehart intended to accept a role as Chief Motorsports Officer at Spire, a position overseeing the team’s racing operations.
According to the complaint, JGR issued a demand letter in December 2025 instructing him not to use or disclose confidential information and to participate in a forensic review to identify any retained data; Gabehart’s legal counsel responded that any JGR materials would be returned but opposed the forensic review, stating that a Google Drive folder labeled “Spire” contained only personal notes and that he did not possess sensitive documents. JGR challenges these claims in its filing.
The lawsuit follows Gabehart’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing on December 3, 2025, which happened without a public explanation at the time. Gabehart had recently moved from serving as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief to overseeing competition across the organization. Neither Gabehart nor the team came to public to explain the reasons behind the split, which sparked fan speculation and theories for over two months.
Some of the speculation during the off-season suggested that Gabehart could join Spire Motorsports, though nothing has been announced. The lawsuit does not confirm any employment agreement but claims that the alleged actions were intended to benefit exactly that organization.
Team owner Joe Gibbs later explained that the organization chose not to hire a single replacement competition director after Gabehart’s exit. Instead, JGR created a 5-person competition committee that includes former director Wally Brown and 4 additional leaders focused on performance. Gibbs stated that the the group shares the responsibility for preparing the team’s cars and race strategy.
Gabehart’s tenure at JGR dates back to 2016 in the then-Xfinity, now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before he became Hamlin’s crew chief in 2019. Together, they won 22 Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 in 2019 and 2020, and reached the Championship 4 three times. He moved into the competition director role for the 2025 season, overseeing performance across all Cup teams.
JGR’s filing emphasizes that the competition director position involves broad access to internal processes, technical development plans, and strategic information, and the team is seeking legal remedies to prevent any use of that information outside the team and to recover damages related to the alleged breach of contractual obligations.
The case is expected to proceed through the court while the season continues, leaving Gabehart’s future in the sport uncertain.
