A major NASCAR team has launched legal action against a former high-ranking executive, claiming he illegally shared proprietary information with a competitor.
Joe Gibbs Racing filed the $8 million lawsuit Thursday in federal court in North Carolina’s Western District, targeting Chris Gabehart, who previously held the position of competition director with the organization.
Gabehart spent 13 years with JGR, working extensively as crew chief for driver Denny Hamlin before advancing to his leadership role overseeing competitive operations. His annual base compensation reached $1 million last year, not including performance bonuses, according to motorsport.com.
The racing organization announced Gabehart’s exit in late 2024, alleging he conspired to transfer proprietary data to Spire Motorsports, which had extended him an offer to become their chief motorsports officer.
Internal investigators at JGR discovered that Gabehart had created a digital folder on his work computer that was synchronized with his personal cloud account, containing sensitive details about employee compensation and evaluations for drivers, crew chiefs, and pit crew members, motorsport.com reported.
The lawsuit claims Gabehart accessed these confidential files while completing his departure process on the identical date he conducted a meeting with Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson.
The legal filing states: “Until November 10, 2025, Defendant served as one of JGR’s most senior leaders with respect to all competitive aspects of the business. After his demands for additional authority were rebuffed by JGR’s owner, Defendant immediately embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR — Spire Motorsports.”
Court documents reveal that Gabehart held a meeting with team owner Joe Gibbs on November 6, during which the former NFL head coach declined to grant him complete control over racing operations.
Following this meeting, both parties entered discussions about separation arrangements. According to JGR’s account: “Under those terms, Defendant would have been permitted to work for another NASCAR team, provided that he agreed not to solicit key employees and contractors and that he cooperated in returning JGR equipment and information.”
The racing team further alleges that Gabehart “using his personal cell phone, took at least twenty photos of his laptop screen” displaying confidential data. The suit adds: “Defendant accessed and interacted with the Spire Folder on November 12, 13, 15, 23, 25, 26, 27, and December 2 of 2025 — the same day he met with Jeff Dickerson.”
