Earlier this week, Denny Hamlin shared his full ideas on the continuing authorized battle between Chris Gabehart/Spire Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, calling it “disappointing.” Hamlin wasn’t prepared to dive into the subject when requested Saturday at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
“No, I shared the ideas I had on it on Monday, why it’s vital for these groups to have the ability to defend their info as a result of there’s truthfully no going again,” Hamlin stated, through Frontstretch. “If by some means your info will get out, there’s no going again till there’s one other new automobile, and who is aware of when that can be.”
Hamlin and Gabehart have been top-of-the-line driver/crew chief duos in NASCAR throughout their six seasons collectively at JGR. Gabehart was elevated to the position as competitors director at JGR for the 2025 season. After only one yr within the position, Gabehart requested out.
In a lawsuit filed Feb. 19, JGR alleges that Gabehart “launched into a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most delicate info and use it for the advantage of a direct competitor in NASCAR—Spire Motorsports.” In accordance with the lawsuit, Gabehart allegedly sought “carte blanche authority over all racing choices” at JGR and when rebuffed by workforce proprietor Joe Gibbs, made recognized he needed out.
Gabehart’s final day at JGR was Nov. 10, eight days after the 2025 season got here to an finish. As is normal when an worker leaves the corporate, Gabehart was ordered at hand over his laptop and JGR performed a forensic evaluation. By means of the evaluation, JGR allegedly found that Gabehart had entry to confidential and proprietary info. Gabehart allegedly used his private cellphone to take pictures of his laptop computer display screen “in an effort to conceal that he was accessing and taking JGR’s confidential info and commerce secrets and techniques.”
Moreover, a Google Drive was discovered that had a folder titled “Spire” and a subfolder titled “Previous Setups.” Gabehart was discovered to have had conferences with Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson, which JGR was unaware of. He notified JGR on Dec. 17 that he had been supplied a job at Spire, although not as a contest director. Gabehart was later employed as Spire’s chief motorsports officer. The lawsuit states that Gabehart has created damages that exceed $8 million.
The workforce can be pursuing a short lived restraining order and preliminary injunction that will prohibit Gabehart from performing companies for Spire much like these he offered at JGR for 18 months following Feb. 9, 2026. A choose declined to problem a direct ruling Friday, as a substitute encouraging either side to proceed discussions by means of the weekend.
JGR vs. Chris Gabehart, Spire lawsuit: Gabehart takes goal at Joe Gibbs, Ty Gibbs, organizational dysfunction
On Wednesday, Gabehart struck again with a submitting within the Western District of North Carolina. The submitting painted JGR as a “dysfunctional organizational construction.” Gabehart additionally alleged that JGR gave “differential remedy” to the No. 54 automobile manned by Ty Gibbs, the grandson of JGR co-owner Joe Gibbs and the son of JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs.
Gabehart took the competitors director place anticipating to have “a COO-type position overseeing all aggressive operations with autonomy to steer,” in line with a portion of the Wednesday submitting shared by Matt Weaver of Motorsport. As an alternative, he claims he was pressured into serving because the crew chief for Ty Gibbs, a job he would assume for 9 races in the course of the 2025 season earlier than relinquishing it.
At problem within the JGR lawsuit is the alleged sharing of confidential info. Gabehart famous that the folders existed solely for him to judge whether or not to take a job with Spire. Spire reportedly supplied to permit a impartial forensic investigator to assessment the corporate’s supplies to verify no JGR info had been transmitted or utilized by Spire.
Gabehart additionally stated he supplied to pay as much as $50,000 in JGR authorized charges to settle the matter with out litigation. Gabehart claimed JGR stopped paying his wage in November as the 2 sides tried to work by means of a separation settlement, although talks ultimately broke down.
On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.
