At the beginning of December, it was reported that Chris Gabehart had left Joe Gibbs Racing in a surprising exit. He worked at JGR for 13 years, and won 22 Cup races as a crew chief for Denny Hamlin between 2019 and 2024. Most recently, he worked as the Director of Competition for the elite organization.
Since his departure, there has been no word regarding why Gabehart left, or where he would end up in 2026. But on Thursday, we learned that and much more as JGR filed a lawsuit against Gabehart, accusing him of taking part in a “brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”
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That direct competitor is Spire Motorsports, a Chevrolet team aligned with Hendrick Motorsports, with three full-time chartered entries. The filing notes that Gabehart met personally with Jeff Dickerson, the co-owner at Spire.
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet; Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet; Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Due to what the team calls the “misappropriation of JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets,” and learning that Gabehart was set to take the role of Chief Motorsports Officer at Spire, Gibbs opted to file the aforementioned lawsuit. According to the filing, JGR was aware of the fact that he was seeking employment at Spire, but were told that it was a position “which he would not provide Spire with services similar to the services he provided JGR.”
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There was also a forensic review of Gabehart’s computer and phone, which JGR claims provides a timeline and execution of a plan on Gabehart’s part, involving the transferring of data, setups, and other sensitive information. Among his actions, the team says he accessed JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets, and proceeded to take at least a dozen photos to avoid transferring files directly in what they see as an effort to avoid an electronic paper trail.
Some of these photos features comprehensive post-race audits and analyses of team and driver performance for the entire 2025 season, complete team payrolls including contract lengths, sponsor revenue numbers and other business arrangements, pit crew analytics, in-depth tire data. Gabehart’s Google Drive, where these photos were stored, were then synced to the JGR laptop. Within the Google Drive, there was a file titled ‘Spire’ and ‘past setups.’
A more extensive review of the filing is set to follow on Motorsport.com, but you can read the full document below:
JGR lawsuit against Chris Gabehart by nickdegroot89
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