Gabehart claims lawsuit is punishment for leaving, not about trade secrets
He admits taking photos but insists he never shared confidential information
JGR alleges he stole sensitive information when his demands for authority were rejected
Gabehart was pressured to crew chief Ty Gibbs despite being competition director
📖 Full Retelling
Former Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart claimed in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 25, 2026, that the NASCAR team is suing him merely to punish him for leaving when the situation surrounding team owner Joe Gibbs' grandson became untenable, rather than to protect trade secrets as claimed. Gabehart admitted in his filed declaration that he did take photographs on his phone of a JGR excel file and other projects he helped develop, but insisted his forensic audit proved the information was never shared with any other organization. Joe Gibbs Racing has sued Gabehart for allegedly embarking on 'a brazen scheme to steal JGR's most sensitive information' and added Spire Motorsports, where Gabehart now works, to the lawsuit, requesting a restraining order preventing him from working for the rival team.
The legal battle stems from what Gabehart describes as a dysfunctional organizational structure that developed during his 13-year tenure at JGR. He claims his role as competition director was undermined when he was pressured to crew chief Ty Gibbs, the team owner's grandson, despite having been promised a COO-type position with autonomy. Gabehart maintained that Ty Gibbs' No. 54 team received preferential treatment, including not being held to the same meeting attendance standards as other teams, with the car 'managed directly by Coach Gibbs and everyone in the organization knew it.' The situation deteriorated to the point where JGR stopped paying Gabehart in November as negotiations over his departure grew contentious.
Joe Gibbs Racing counters that Gabehart violated his contract and stole confidential team trade secrets when 'his demands for additional authority were rebuffed by JGR's owner,' claiming he has caused more than $8 million in damages to the organization. The team's own forensic audit allegedly found Google searches about Spire Motorsports, folders titled 'Spire' and 'Past Setups,' and more than a dozen images of JGR files containing confidential information. Gabehart maintains the 'Spire' folder was for his personal evaluation of whether to join the rival team and emphatically states, 'This lawsuit is not about protecting trade secrets, it is about punishing a former employee for daring to leave.'
Christopher Allen Gabehart (born May 16, 1981) is an American NASCAR director of competition and former stock car racing driver. He currently works for Spire Motorsports as their Chief Motorsports Officer. He formally worked for Joe Gibbs Racing from 2012 to 2025, first as an engineer, then a crew c...
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Founded in Huntersville, North Carolina, in 1992, JGR has won five Cup Series championships, fou...
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top-ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports league...
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used with respect to a civil action br...
Business information kept secret to gain or maintain a competitive advantage
A trade secret is information that a business keeps confidential to maintain a competitive advantage. Well-known examples include the Coca-Cola formula and the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Unlike other forms of intellectual property ("IP"), trade secrets do not require formal registration and...
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Chris Gabehart: Joe Gibbs Racing lawsuit is 'punishing a former employee for daring to leave' Chris Gabehart says Joe Gibbs Racing is suing him to punish him for leaving, not to protect trade secrets By JENNA FRYER AP auto racing writer February 25, 2026, 6:22 PM CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The former competition director of Joe Gibbs Racing claimed Wednesday the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach is suing him for “daring to leave” the NASCAR team when the situation surrounding Gibbs' grandson became untenable at the organization. Chris Gabehart admitted in his declaration filed in the Western District of North Carolina that he did take photographs on his phone of a JGR excel file and other projects that he had played a role in developing. But Gabehart insisted his own forensic audit proved the information was never shared with any other organization. JGR has sued Gabehart for allegedly embarking on “a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information" and on Tuesday night added Spire Motorsports to the suit. JGR also requested a restraining order preventing Gabehart from working for the rival team. JGR alleges Gabehart took proprietary information from the team to bring with him to his new role at Spire. Gabehart is challenging that narrative and claims his 13-year tenure at JGR began to unravel when he was pressured last season to crew chief Ty Gibbs, the grandson of the team owner, despite having been promoted to competition director at the end of 2024. “I notified JGR that the job was not, at all, as advertised. I was promised a COO-type role overseeing all competitive operations with autonomy to lead,” Gabehart wrote in the declaration. “Instead, I found myself constantly intertwined with Coach Gibbs, senior JGR executives and family members when making even routine competition decisions — a dysfunctional organizational structure that I could not continue in.” Gabehart claims he expressed “serious concerns” about how Ty Gibbs' No. 54 team was managed, specifically th...
