NASCAR: Joe Gibbs Racing files $8M lawsuit against Gabehart

In a dramatic escalation within the NASCAR world, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has launched a high-stakes lawsuit against its former competition director, Chris Gabehart (pictured), seeking over $8 million in damages for what the team describes as a “brazen scheme” to misappropriate sensitive information.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The legal battle, filed in the Western District of North Carolina under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, accuses Gabehart of stealing proprietary data and sharing it with rival team Spire Motorsports, potentially reshaping how teams handle employee transitions and intellectual property in the sport.

Gabehart, who had been with JGR for over a decade, initially served as an engineer and later as crew chief for Denny Hamlin before ascending to competition director in 2025. Earning a $1 million base salary plus bonuses, he reportedly grew dissatisfied with his role and demanded broader authority over racing decisions during a November 6, 2025, meeting with team owner Joe Gibbs. When his requests were denied, Gabehart indicated his intent to leave.

The lawsuit details a series of alleged actions starting the very next day, November 7, 2025, when Gabehart accessed confidential files on his company laptop, including payroll records, driver and sponsor compensation details, pit crew analytics, and racecar performance data.

He purportedly photographed this information with his personal phone and uploaded it to a Google Drive folder named “Spire.” Further accesses continued through December, coinciding with a meeting between Gabehart and Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson. JGR claims these actions violated Gabehart’s employment contract, particularly clauses prohibiting the unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information, and also involved soliciting JGR employees using the stolen data.

A forensic review of Gabehart’s devices in January 2026 confirmed the presence of JGR’s proprietary information, which was subsequently deleted under court-approved protocols on February 4, 2026. The case, assigned to Judge Matthew E. Orso, seeks not only financial restitution but also an injunction to prevent Gabehart from further using or disclosing the data. As of now, neither Gabehart nor Spire Motorsports has publicly responded to the allegations.

The controversy has sparked wider discussions in the NASCAR community, with former driver Brian Keselowski warning that this could signal a growing trend driven by the Next Gen car’s emphasis on parity.

Keselowski, who has raced across multiple NASCAR series, highlighted how the standardized parts in the Next Gen car—introduced in 2022—make engineering data more easily transferable, reducing unique team advantages. In a February 19, 2026, post on X, he stated, “This is going to become more common because of the nature of this car. It has no special race team-specific parts. So that means everyone has the same things to worry about with. Extremely more engineering driven, and easier to copy and paste amongst the field.”

Keselowski further predicted stricter non-compete clauses and increased legal scrutiny, noting the “slippery slope” in distinguishing between an employee’s experience and protected trade secrets. This lawsuit underscores the evolving challenges in NASCAR, where talent mobility clashes with the need to safeguard competitive edges in an increasingly data-driven era.

As the 2026 NASCAR season approaches, all eyes will be on how this off-track drama unfolds and whether it prompts broader changes in team contracts and data security protocols across the garage.