From Laptop Access to Administrative Leave: The Chris Gabehart Case Gets Messier
· Yahoo Sports
Chris Gabehart is now on administrative leave at Spire Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing is using that decision to strengthen its case against its former competition director.
The dispute has taken another turn in the ongoing lawsuit over alleged trade secrets, with JGR arguing that Spire only began restricting Gabehart’s access after the legal pressure increased.
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According to Motorsport.com, JGR says Spire confiscated Gabehart’s company laptop, cut off his work email, removed him from Cup Series competition meetings and eventually placed him on leave only after JGR filed a motion seeking to hold both Gabehart and Spire in contempt of court.
JGR described those steps as “damage control” rather than proactive compliance with the court’s restrictions.
And the laptop is only part of the problem.
JGR Says Gabehart Still Had Access to Its Files
JGR’s latest argument goes beyond Gabehart’s presence at meetings or his involvement in NASCAR Cup Series discussions.
During an October 1 hearing, the team alleged that Gabehart retained access to JGR files through a personal OneDrive account until late June 2026, months after he left the organization. JGR says the account had not been disclosed during an earlier forensic review and was brought to its attention on September 4.
In its latest filing, JGR argued that Gabehart continued to have access to those materials while working for a direct competitor.
The team also pointed to communications involving Spire’s competition personnel, including questions about car handling and setup-related matters. JGR argues that these incidents show Gabehart was still providing services similar to the work he performed before leaving the organization.
Those allegations are now central to JGR’s effort to have Spire and Gabehart held in civil contempt.
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Apr 28, 2024; Dover, Delaware, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (left) chats with crew chief Chris Gabehart (right) on pit road prior to the Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY SportsGabehart left JGR at the end of 2025 after working for the organization as an engineer, crew chief and competition director. He joined Spire as chief motorsports officer in early 2026.
JGR sued him in February, alleging that he had taken confidential information and could use it to help his new employer. The lawsuit also targeted Spire over its employment of Gabehart.
A court order restricted Gabehart from performing services similar to certain duties he had carried out at JGR and from retaining or using protected information. However, the court did not ban him from working at Spire altogether.
JGR argues that Gabehart crossed the line through his involvement in Cup Series competition discussions. Spire and Gabehart say the team has stretched the restrictions beyond what the court intended.
Now, Gabehart’s administrative leave has given JGR another issue to bring before the court.
The team argues that Spire’s successive decisions to restrict his access show it did not take the court’s orders seriously enough from the beginning.
Spire Has Pushed Back Against JGR’s Claims
Spire and Gabehart have repeatedly denied JGR’s broader allegations.
In a response reported by Motorsport.com, Gabehart’s lawyers cited testimony from witnesses who said he was not performing the same competition-director duties he had at JGR. Spire has argued that Gabehart’s role covers a wider motorsports operation, including Truck Series racing, dirt racing, IndyCar and developmental programs.
Spire has also maintained that JGR has not shown that Gabehart transferred its proprietary files to the team or used them in its Cup Series operation.
That is the central disagreement. JGR says Gabehart’s access to information and involvement in competition discussions violated the court’s restrictions. Spire says his role was different from his previous position and that JGR has yet to prove its trade-secret claims.
The Court Is Asking Questions of Both Sides
The leave announcement comes as the lawsuit enters another important stage.
On October 7, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler ordered JGR to provide a final statement identifying the trade secrets it claims were misappropriated by Gabehart and/or Spire. The deadline is the end of next week.
The court also ordered JGR and Spire to produce their final, as-raced NASCAR Cup Series setup sheets from the 2025 and 2026 seasons by October 13. Spire was also granted access to JGR’s full agreement with Toyota Racing Development, with that document due by the same date.
The court approved some requests for additional evidence from both sides while rejecting other requests it considered overly broad or burdensome.
As RACER reported, the judge also urged the parties to resolve more discovery disputes without court intervention, noting that both sides have been fighting aggressively throughout the process.
For now, JGR sees the administrative leave as evidence that its concerns were justified.
The next round of filings should bring more detail, with key documents due October 13 and JGR required to identify the trade secrets at the center of its case.
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