Overview
- The court has concluded that former Joe Gibbs Racing engineer Chris Gabehart copied and kept JGR files, setup sheets and financial documents on a personal Google Drive and therefore misappropriated trade secrets.
- In a second amended complaint filed June 16, JGR added allegations that a Spire employee told a JGR worker Gabehart is running or heavily participating in Spire’s competition strategy and that Spire told staff not to discuss his role.
- Forensic evidence in JGR’s filings says Gabehart photographed confidential documents with his phone in December 2025 and January 2026 while preparing for the 2026 season and stored those images off JGR systems.
- Gabehart and Spire deny misuse of protected information and say Gabehart erased and returned materials while Gabehart also contends JGR breached first by stopping his pay in December, a dispute that defendants say affects the non‑compete claim.
- The judge allowed JGR to refile the complaint but warned against broad third‑party discovery unless JGR shows a direct link to Spire which narrows efforts to trace where the alleged information may have been used.