Joe Gibbs Racing Alleges Data Misappropriation, Seeks Expedited Discovery Against Spire Motorsports and Former Employee

CHARLOTTE, NC – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has formally petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina to grant expedited discovery in its ongoing legal dispute with Spire Motorsports and former competition director Chris Gabehart. The racing powerhouse alleges that Gabehart, following his departure from JGR, engaged in the unauthorized access, review, and deletion of confidential company files, potentially weaponizing proprietary competition data against JGR in the current NASCAR Cup Series season.

In a strongly worded response filed on Friday, JGR argued that Gabehart’s actions, particularly his alleged secret review and deletion of employer files while negotiating with a direct competitor, constitute powerful evidence of wrongful intent. The filing states, "There is no innocent explanation for secretly accessing, reviewing, and selectively deleting an employer’s confidential files after your employment has ended and you are negotiating with a direct competitor. Gabehart’s belief that he was acting in secret is itself powerful evidence of wrongful intent."

The urgency of JGR’s request stems from the ongoing 2026 NASCAR season, where they contend that any competitive harm inflicted by the alleged misappropriation of data cannot be remedied retrospectively. "Race wins and points accumulated during the season determine series champions — losses in these categories cannot be remedied after the fact," the filing asserts. "Every race that Gabehart and Spire compete using JGR’s proprietary strategies and technical information inflicts irreparable harm on JGR, whether through direct competitive disadvantage or through JGR being forced to compete without knowing if its ‘secret sauce’ is being deployed against it."

JGR’s claims are bolstered by findings from their forensic analyst, who detailed what they termed a "technical blunder" by Gabehart. This alleged oversight involved Gabehart failing to disable device syncing with his personal accounts before returning his company computer upon his departure. This is compounded by revelations that Gabehart took photographs of JGR data using his personal phone after indicating his intent to leave, an action his own legal counsel has acknowledged he feels "embarrassed" and "stupid" about. JGR maintains these actions point not to an accident, but to malicious intent.

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The filing further elaborates on Gabehart’s interaction with an "Unknown Google Drive Folder," theorizing that proprietary data could have been stored there, and that JGR has not been granted access to this device. "Perhaps tellingly, and nefariously, Gabehart chose not to let Mr. Walton [Clark, the examiner] examine the Unknown Microsoft OneDrive before litigation or disclose he accessed it while simultaneously interacting with JGR’s materials he saved in his Spire folder. Gabehart’s assertion that there is no risk of spoliation is unreliable and falls flat," JGR’s response states.

Consequently, Joe Gibbs Racing is seeking expedited discovery of all pertinent devices and communications between Gabehart and Spire Motorsports co-owners Jeff Dickerson and Dan Towriss.

Spire Motorsports, in their earlier filings, opposed expedited discovery. However, they indicated that if Judge Susan C. Rodriguez were to grant JGR’s request, Spire would then seek expedited discovery from JGR to ascertain when the team considered its employment agreement with Gabehart to have nominally concluded. JGR’s legal team deemed this counter-proposal improper, stating, "Defendants offer no argument or evidence of exigency or retention risk. Such requests violate Local Civil Rule 7.1(c)(2) which prohibits parties from including motions in responsive briefing. Notwithstanding that procedural inconformity, JGR agrees discovery should begin in earnest in the immediate future. All interested parties benefit if discovery occurs before the issues join—which will almost assuredly not occur until after the 2026 NASCAR seasons concludes."

Dispute Over Personnel "Trade" Agreement

Adding another layer to the legal imbroglio, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chief People Officer, Toni Rogers, has disputed Spire’s characterization of an employee "trade" agreement. Rogers, in a Friday night filing, stated she was unaware of any agreement with Spire that would permit JGR to hire Spire employee Cheddar Smith, a veteran car chief, in exchange for the ability to hire a JGR employee before their contract expired, or alternatively, pay $100,000 to Spire.

Jeff Dickerson had previously claimed that Smith was released from his contract in April to join JGR as car chief for the No. 54 team, with Spire receiving the right to similarly hire a JGR employee before their contract ended, or collect a $100,000 payment. Rogers, however, presented an email with Chris Gabehart that confirmed the $100,000 figure but contained no indication that JGR held the option to release a car chief or crew chief from their contracts to join Spire.

The only personnel "trade" Rogers is aware of involved spotters, an arrangement that ultimately did not materialize. "The only potential ‘trade’ of personnel between JGR and Spire that had been discussed was a potential trade of spotters—a JGR spotter and a Spire spotter," Rogers stated. "A Competition Director, such as Gabehart, is a much higher and more valuable position than a spotter." She explained that the understanding was that if the Spire spotter joined JGR, JGR would assume their salary, and any differential above JGR’s current spotter salary would offset the $100,000. Rogers concluded, "To my knowledge, JGR has never received an invoice for the referenced payment of $100,000.00." She further emphasized, "I have certainly never been aware of any sort of open-ended agreement with Spire that would allow Spire to hire someone who was under contractual obligations to JGR. As JGR’s Chief People Officer, I would have been aware of any such agreement that came to fruition."

JGR Seeks Injunction to Bar Gabehart from Spire’s NASCAR Operations

A central point of contention before the court on Monday morning is JGR’s motion for a preliminary injunction. Joe Gibbs Racing seeks to prevent Gabehart from participating in any capacity within Spire Motorsports that mirrors his former role as competition director. Gabehart is currently employed by Spire as "Chief Motorsports Officer," a position with responsibilities extending beyond the Cup Series to Super Late Models, Sprint Cars, and affiliated IndyCar and Formula 1 programs.

Gabehart’s defense hinges on the assertion that his contract included only a one-week non-compete clause, a position supported by Dickerson’s testimony. However, JGR refutes this, arguing that Gabehart failed to meet the conditions required to reduce his non-compete period. According to JGR, Section 6 of the agreement mandated a three-step procedure: notice of inconsistent duties, a 60-day period for JGR to cure, and a 60-day notice of termination without cause. JGR contends Gabehart failed the initial step by seeking additional responsibilities rather than relief from assigned duties.

JGR’s attorneys also highlight that Gabehart’s contract required these notices to be made "in good faith," a requirement they allege was ignored. Furthermore, JGR reiterated its belief that Gabehart was engaged in discussions with Spire co-owner Dan Towriss as early as October, a meeting Towriss does not recall and Gabehart claims was misrepresented by JGR employee Todd Berrier. JGR asserts that Gabehart did not provide the requisite 60-day notice, instead informing team owner Coach Joe Gibbs that the relationship was irreparable after the season concluded in early November.

JGR maintains that Gabehart was simultaneously accessing and storing proprietary information that could be currently used against them. The team clarifies that they ceased paying Gabehart not because his employment had ended, but upon the discovery of his alleged conspiracy with Spire. "The Agreement plainly states Gabehart’s ‘Base Salary’ was payment for ‘the services Employee provides the Company.’ Gabehart’s ‘prior material breach’ defense rests on the untenable premise that JGR was obligated to pay him a salary while he performed no services for JGR and instead actively worked to benefit its competitor, Spire," JGR’s filing reads. They assert that JGR complied with the agreement by paying Gabehart for all services rendered through November 10, 2025, and that by that date, he had returned his company computer and was negotiating employment with Spire while continuing to access stolen JGR information.

Gabehart’s counter-argument is that JGR breached their contract by failing to pay year-end bonus monies. JGR responds that this bonus was due by January 2, by which time Gabehart’s alleged conduct had been discovered. A portion of this bonus was subsequently used, as agreed by both legal teams, to cover the cost of forensic analysis of Gabehart’s devices and an additional hotel room in Phoenix in January. JGR argues that the payment of this bonus, while negotiations were ongoing regarding Gabehart’s admitted data-taking and its impact on the bonus, does not constitute a material breach.

Ultimately, Joe Gibbs Racing seeks an injunction to prevent Gabehart from damaging JGR within the NASCAR Cup Series. They state Gabehart is free to work in other motorsports disciplines, including for Spire’s Super Late Model or Sprint Car teams, or their sister IndyCar and Formula 1 programs, but not for Spire’s Cup Series operation. "Gabehart’s actual misappropriation of JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets has been established," the filing states. "It is undisputed that he took photos of his computer screen with his cell phone and saved more than 200 JGR proprietary files in a folder named ‘Spire.’ This is sufficient to support a preliminary injunction as to Gabehart." The filing further asserts, "There is likewise substantial evidence of an ongoing and future threat of misappropriation of JGR’s trade secrets by both Gabehart and Spire." The court is expected to hear arguments on these critical matters in the coming days.

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