Joe Gibbs Racing Claims Spire Motorsports Used Stolen Intellectual Property

Charlotte, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing, one of NASCAR’s most decorated organizations, asked a federal judge Thursday to block former competition director Chris Gabehart from taking a senior role at rival Spire Motorsports, alleging that Spire knowingly benefited from stolen JGR data in a bid to reverse its on-track fortunes.

Attorneys for the powerhouse team founded by three-time Super Bowl-winning coach Joe Gibbs told U.S. District Judge Susan C. Rodriguez that Gabehart photographed proprietary setup sheets and strategy documents in the final days of his JGR tenure, then labeled digital folders “Spire” and “Past Setups” while negotiating his exit last November. JGR contends those actions violated both his employment agreement and the 18-month non-compete clause he signed as a condition of his promotion to competition director.

“One Cup win since 2018 gives them a motive to take shortcuts,” JGR lead counsel Tom Melsheimer argued in a four-hour hearing, pointing to Spire’s admitted disappointment with its 2025 season. “Hiring Gabehart and gaining access to our secret sauce is, in our view, cheating.”

Gabehart, who stood to become Spire’s chief motorsports officer, concedes he copied data but insists he never shared it. Spire attorney Lawrence Cameron countered that no evidence shows the Chevrolet-aligned team requested, received, or deployed any JGR information. “They allege we encouraged theft of their ‘secret sauce,’ yet they have offered zero proof,” Cameron said.

Judge Rodriguez extended the temporary restraining order barring Gabehart from performing competition-related duties for Spire until April 9, saying she will “dig my teeth into this” before ruling on JGR’s request for a preliminary injunction. Livelihoods, she noted, hang in the balance.

The dispute is layered with personal friction: Gabehart claims his relationship with Ty Gibbs—Joe Gibbs’ grandson and a JGR driver—fractured beyond repair, rendering his position “untenable.” After JGR halted his regular salary last November, Gabehart believed the non-compete was void and accepted Spire’s offer. JGR maintains he was terminated for cause on Feb. 9, keeping the clause intact.

A private investigator hired by JGR photographed Gabehart having lunch with Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson in December and later captured him in the Darlington grandstands during a race weekend, images that featured prominently in Thursday’s proceedings.

Both sides presented their complete evidentiary records, leaving the court to decide whether photographic copies of setup data constitute competitive theft or the idle musings of “a racing nerd, an engineer from Purdue,” as Gabehart’s attorney characterized his client.

The ruling, when it comes, could reset the competitive landscape for two organizations traveling markedly different trajectories: JGR chasing continued dominance, Spire desperate for acceleration.