Joe Gibbs Racing is going to get its day in court against former competition director Chris Gabehart and his current employer, Spire Motorsports.
According to documents filed Thursday, July 17 in the U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina, the NASCAR Cup Series team’s lawsuit against Gabehart and Spire will get a jury trial that is scheduled to begin on Feb. 1, 2027. U.S. District Judge Susan C. Rodriguez is set to preside over the trial, which is anticipated to last nine days. Any delays or postponements in the proceedings could cause it to bump up against the weekend of the Daytona 500, set for Feb. 21.
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JGR – the team owned by three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs – originally filed its lawsuit against Gabehart in February. JGR alleges that Gabehart “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR – Spire Motorsports.” JGR seeks to recover damages of up to $8 million because Gabehart allegedly violated “his contractual obligations and wrongfully” used “JGR’s confidential information and trade secrets.”
In amended complaints filed since, Spire Motorsports has been added to the parties JGR is suing. In an amended complaint filed on June 15, JGR alleges that Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson “has informed other individuals that he possesses portions of JGR’s confidential information and trade secrets” that Gabehart allegedly took.
Gabehart denied the claims and called them false in February, characterizing the lawsuit as “frivolous,” “baseless” and “spiteful.” He has since countersued JGR. In a counterclaim filed on June 24, attorneys for Gabehart write that JGR spun “a tale of corporate espionage and betrayal. The truth is far simpler – and far less dramatic. … JGR still cannot point to a single piece of JGR information that Mr. Gabehart has used, transmitted, or disclosed to anyone at Spire or elsewhere in NASCAR. Not one document. Not one file. Not one text message. Nothing.”
In his counterclaim, Gabehart is alleging JGR to be guilty of breach of contract, violating the computer fraud and abuse act and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
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Gabehart is being represented by a team of attorneys from the Charlotte-based lawfirm Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A., while JGR is being represented by another Charlotte based firm, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP.
In March, a judge ruled that Gabehart can continue to work at Spire, but not in the role he performed for JGR. Gabehart’s title at Spire is Chief Motorsports Officer.
Considered to be one of the smartest minds around the NASCAR garage, the 44-year-old Gabehart began his career in the Cup Series in 2012 as an engineer on Kyle Busch’s car with JGR. He was then the crew chief for Erik Jones in the second-tier Xfinity Series, then became the crew chief for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 in 2019. With Gabehart leading his team, Hamlin won 22 races in a six-year stretch, including a pair of Daytona 500s. Hamlin also made the final championship four in three seasons.
JGR has won five Cup Series championships, most recently with the late Busch in 2019. Gibbs’ grandson Ty – now a Cup Series driver – won the team’s fourth Xfinity Series championship in 2022. In addition to Ty Gibbs and Hamlin, JGR also fields Cup Series cars for Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Gibbs now co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law Heather. The team has long been aligned with Toyota and all four drivers are in position to make the postseason Chase.
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Spire has been competing in the Cup Series since 2019. It now fields three cars in NASCAR’s top-level series for Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez. Hocevar won at Talladega this season while Suarez took the checkered flag at the Coca-Cola 600.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Gibbs Racing lawsuit against Chris Gabehart, Spire will get jury trial
