Former Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart called the federal lawsuit his former employer filed against him “spiteful” and said JGR’s claims that he shared that organization’s proprietary information with Spire Motorsports were false.
Gabehart’s remarks on his X (Twitter) account came within 24 hours after JGR filed the suit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the suit, JGR accuses Gabehart of breach of contract and taking that team’s trade secrets to NASCAR Series competitor Spire Motorsports.
— Chris Gabehart (@CG1751) February 20, 2026
“I feel compelled to speak out today (Friday) and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims,” Gabehart said on social media. “I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate to the Court that I have not shared JGR’s confidential information with anyone. In fact, I have already demonstrated that to JGR.
“A third-party forensic expert retained by JGR recently examined my laptop, cell phone, and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit. We even offered JGR the opportunity to do a similar review of Spire’s systems. JGR refused that offer and filed this spiteful lawsuit instead.
“We will have much more to say in the legal response we will be filing in the coming days.”