UPDATE 2-20-2026: Chris Gabehart responded to the lawsuit Friday:
“Yesterday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit claiming – falsely – that I shared JGR confidential information with Spire Motorsports and/or other unnamed third parties. I feel compelled to speak out today and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims.
I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate to the Court that I have not shared JGR’s confidential information with anyone. In fact, I have already demonstrated that to JGR. A third-party forensic expert retained by JGR recently examined my laptop, cell phone and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit. We even offered JGR the opportunity to do a similar review of Spire’s systems. JGR refused that offer and filed this spiteful lawsuit instead.
Stay tuned. We will have much more to say in the legal response we will be filing in the coming days.”
— Chris Gabehart (@CG1751) February 20, 2026
ORIGINAL POST 2-19-2026: Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a federal lawsuit in the Western District of North Carolina against former Competition Director Christopher Gabehart, accusing him of stealing confidential team information before departing the organization and accepting a leadership role with Spire Motorsports. In the complaint, JGR alleges that in the days surrounding his November 2025 exit, Gabehart photographed sensitive data from his company laptop, synced proprietary files to a personal Google Drive folder labeled “Spire,” and retained race setup documents, analytics reports, payroll data, driver compensation figures, and sponsorship revenue information. JGR claims the material constitutes trade secrets and says the alleged conduct occurred shortly before Gabehart received an offer from Spire.
The team is asserting claims under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, North Carolina trade secret law, unfair trade practices statutes, and breach of contract, citing confidentiality, non-compete, and non-solicitation provisions in his employment agreement. JGR is seeking injunctive relief to prevent any use or disclosure of its information, along with damages it believes exceed $8 million, plus potential enhanced damages and attorneys’ fees. The case centers on whether the information qualifies as protected trade secrets and whether Gabehart violated his contractual obligations in connection with his move to Spire.
Download a copy of the complaint:
Joe Gibbs Racing Vs Chris Gabehart