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In a significant development within the NASCAR legal landscape, Judge Susan C. Rodriguez of the Western District of North Carolina has issued a formal, albeit limited, restraining order against Chris Gabehart, the former competition director for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). The order, finalized in writing on Thursday, permits Gabehart to continue his employment with Spire Motorsports while simultaneously restricting his professional activities to ensure no overlap with his prior responsibilities and proprietary information acquired during his tenure at JGR.
The legal battle was initiated by Joe Gibbs Racing, which is seeking over $8 million in damages, alleging a "brazen scheme" by Gabehart and Spire Motorsports to pilfer and potentially disseminate confidential business information. The dispute centers on Gabehart’s departure from JGR at the conclusion of the last racing season. While both parties acknowledge the separation, their accounts of the process and the specifics of Gabehart’s non-compete and non-disclosure agreements differ significantly.
Gabehart has consistently maintained his innocence, asserting that he has not shared any trade secrets with Spire Motorsports and is bound by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with his new employer that prohibits such actions. Joe Gibbs Racing, however, is pursuing expedited fact discovery, aiming to scrutinize Gabehart’s personal devices for any evidence of file storage or access that could have facilitated the alleged sharing of information with Spire leadership.
On Monday, Judge Rodriguez indicated the court’s intention to address the expedited discovery motion on March 16. The limited restraining order was initially communicated verbally and subsequently detailed in a comprehensive written order on Thursday, just prior to a weekend of racing at Phoenix where both NASCAR and IndyCar series shared garage facilities.
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The specifics of the restraining order, as outlined in the court’s filing, are as follows:
- The order restricts Gabehart from engaging in any activities directly related to the competition performance of any NASCAR Cup Series team.
- He is also prohibited from utilizing any business data or proprietary information he may have obtained in contravention of his contractual obligations with Joe Gibbs Racing.
- Furthermore, the order prevents Gabehart from performing any work for a vehicle manufacturer, which in the context of NASCAR’s current landscape, primarily refers to Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. Spire Motorsports currently operates with Chevrolet.
This restraining order is set to expire on March 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., coinciding with a critical hearing scheduled to discuss an injunction motion and the motion for expedited fact discovery. In a notable provision, Joe Gibbs Racing has been ordered to post a $100,000 bond. This financial guarantee is intended to cover any potential lost wages incurred by Gabehart should he ultimately prevail in the legal proceedings.
The legal filings are proceeding at a rapid pace. Joe Gibbs Racing was required to submit an additional filing in support of its injunction motion by Friday. Gabehart’s responses to both the injunction and expedited discovery motions are due on Wednesday, with JGR’s reply to these responses anticipated next Friday.
The genesis of the legal dispute can be traced back to a meeting on November 6, where Joe Gibbs, the founder of JGR, and Chris Gabehart reportedly agreed that a separation was mutually beneficial. Gabehart has cited perceived discrepancies in the operational standards applied to the No. 54 car, driven by Ty Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, compared to the other three JGR entries. He alleged that his authority as competition director was undermined due to the direct oversight of the No. 54 program by Joe Gibbs, which he felt limited his ability to execute his duties effectively.
Following discussions regarding a separation agreement, JGR’s concerns escalated after a forensic review of Gabehart’s personal devices suggested a potential breach of his contractual obligations. This review was reportedly triggered by suspicions that Gabehart had shared trade secrets with Spire Motorsports.
A summary of the forensic findings, as detailed in Judge Rodriguez’s order, reveals significant activity on Gabehart’s devices. The review indicated that Gabehart had connected his personal Google Drive to his JGR computer and had conducted online research pertaining to Spire Motorsports during October and November of 2025.
Of particular concern to JGR, the forensic analysis uncovered that on November 7, 2025 – the day after the meeting where his departure was discussed – Gabehart used his personal cell phone to capture at least 20 images of content from his JGR laptop. These images reportedly included highly sensitive information, such as:
- Comprehensive post-race audit and analyses of team and driver performance for the entire 2025 NASCAR season.
- Complete team payroll details, encompassing job titles, contract lengths, annual compensation, incentive compensation, and compensation plans for previous years.
- An employee compensation calculator utilized for projecting and planning pay for key JGR positions.
- Driver compensation figures for the 2025 and 2026 NASCAR seasons.
- Revenue streams from sponsors, partners, and other business arrangements for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 NASCAR seasons.
- JGR’s pit crew analytics for the 2024 NASCAR season.
- Detailed analytics of racecar tires, specifically examining their impact on race outcomes.
The court document explicitly states that "Such information constituted Confidential Information as defined by the Employment Agreement, and taking pictures of this information was done without JGR’s consent."
Gabehart has since acknowledged taking these photographs of sensitive JGR data. His attorney has reportedly expressed his client’s feelings of embarrassment and regret, while also confirming that all proprietary information has been returned. The forensic analysis conducted by JGR resulted in the deletion of a total of 235 files from Gabehart’s devices.
The current restraining order effectively prevents Gabehart from undertaking any duties related to Cup Series team competition performance. He is also barred from utilizing any business data he may have acquired in violation of his contract and NDA. Furthermore, his work for any vehicle manufacturer, such as Chevrolet, is now prohibited.
The court’s reasoning, as articulated in the order, references the employment agreement and the non-compete covenant. "Under the Agreement, Plaintiff submits because Defendant Gabehart’s termination was with cause, the non-compete covenant term is 18 months and is limited to the ‘services of the general type of services that [Gabehart] provided to [JGR] in the year prior to such termination to any other NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Cup Series racing team (or their respective successor series) or any vehicle manufacturing company or other person or entity that provides goods or services to such a team.’" The order further notes that such covenants, when appropriately restricted in time and scope, have been deemed reasonable under North Carolina law.
Notably, the 18-month duration of the non-compete clause aligns with the remainder of Gabehart’s original contract term with Joe Gibbs Racing, during which he was slated to serve as competition director.
Spire Motorsports has maintained its position, stating that it has not received any trade secrets from JGR and has no intention of doing so. The organization’s ties to Hendrick Motorsports and its long-standing relationship with Chevrolet are cited as reasons for not seeking or accepting proprietary information from a direct competitor.
The full legal order remains available for public review, providing a detailed account of the court’s findings and directives in this high-stakes legal dispute within the professional motorsport community.
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