In a legal filing Wednesday night, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) accused Chris Gabehart of failing to fully comply with the expedited discovery order issued by the western district of North Carolina, due to deleted texts before the lawsuit against him.
JGR pointed out that it has been able to build a narrative showing that its former competition director “operationalized immediately” trade secrets for his use at Spire Motorsports while under a restrictive agreement.
The lawsuit claims that Gabehart not only stole trade secrets from JGR but also created a “Focus Plan” to benefit Spire, replicating JGR’s proprietary analytical tools and actively participating in Spire’s racing operations while subject to the restrictive agreement.
Joe Gibbs Racing requests the court to compel Spire and Gabehart to detail exactly their activities as Director of Motor Sports to demonstrate that they are complying with the temporary restraining order.
In his defense, Gabehart claimed that JGR breached his contract when it stopped paying him, to which JGR responded that it did so under the belief that Gabehart posed a risk of sharing protected trade secrets.
In total, JGR is seeking more than 8 million dollars in damages and a preliminary injunction that immediately prevents Gabehart and Spire from working together. They have also requested an expedited timeline for discovery and trial so that the conflict can be resolved before the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series 2026.
During the proceedings, JGR questioned Gabehart’s credibility concerning his legal responses, pointing to the suppression of text messages with Spire owner Jeff Dickerson after the alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. JGR claims these messages were deleted to prevent them from becoming compromising evidence.
One of the elements that contributed to JGR’s request for an expedited trial is that Gabehart allegedly began planning for Spire shortly after leaving his position at JGR. JGR accuses Gabehart of having conducted “compensation projections” and that his actions evidence a deliberate attempt to exploit stolen information.
The court has scheduled a hearing to resolve the motion for preliminary injunction and determine the next steps in this controversial case. Joe Gibbs Racing seeks not only legal protection but also to restore its business integrity and prevent further harm arising from the current situation with Spire Motorsports.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
