Joe Gibbs Racing Sues Ex-Director for Trade Secrets Theft

Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in the Western District of North Carolina accusing former competition director Chris Gabehart of stealing confidential information and trade secrets to benefit rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports. The suit, which seeks damages exceeding $8 million, alleges Gabehart engaged in a scheme to transfer proprietary data during his departure from the organization at the end of the 2025 season.

Gabehart, who spent 13 years at Joe Gibbs Racing and served as crew chief for driver Denny Hamlin from 2019 to 2024, was promoted to director of competition in November 2024. In that role, he oversaw key aspects of the team's racing operations, including access to sensitive details on car setups, payroll, sponsorship revenues, driver performance reviews and race strategies. According to the lawsuit, Gabehart grew dissatisfied with his position during the 2025 season and sought greater authority over all competition-related departments. On November 6, 2025, he met with team owner Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl-winning NFL coach, to propose overseeing all racing decisions, a request Gibbs denied.