JGR Files $8 Million Lawsuit Against Chris Gabehart Over “Bizarre” Data Theft Scheme

Denny Hamlin’s ex-crew chief Chris Gabehart is getting sued by NASCAR over alleged scheme use their trade secrets for Spire Motorsports.

JGR Files $8 Million Lawsuit Against Chris Gabehart Over “Bizarre” Data Theft Scheme

Denny Hamlin and Chris Gabehart (Via IMAGO)

One of the biggest shocks of the 2025 off-season was Chris Gabehart’s exit from Joe Gibbs Racing and now a latest lawsuit filed by the TRD team has exposed the mystery behind the sudden departure of the competition director. Denny Hamlin’s ex-crew chief decided to leave the team, one year after his promotion, after JGR refused his new demands.

Chris Gabehart wanted full control of the competition side of the team, which Joe Gibbs refused and the former decided to quit. During the exit package negotiation’s, the Daytona 500 winning crew chief started discussions with Spire Motorsports and allegedly collected sensitive data from JGR, which he intended to use for the new team.

In the filing JGR revealed that Gabehart had a drive named spire in his personal lap-top, which had images of sensitive trade secrets of the team, such as pay stubs, contract details of the drivers, crew members as well as sponsors, performance analysis and more. It was discovered in a forensic instigation during the exit negotiations.

Joe Gibbs Racing knew Chris Gabehart is joining Spire after the exit and one the major demand from Toyota team was that the veteran won’t hold similar position as he did at JGR. But now that it’s revealed Spire has appointed him as the Chief Motorsports Officer and the data leaks were exposed, they are seeking $8 million in damages, from the senior official they have been paying $1 million a year in base salary till his exit.

Until November 10, 2025, Defendant served as one of JGR’s most senior leaders with respect to all competitive aspects of the business. After his demands for additional authority were rebuffed by JGR’s owner, Defendant immediately 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. In this action, JGR seeks to recover its extensive damages and enjoin Defendant from violating his contractual obligations and wrongfully using JGR’s confidential information and trade secrets.

JGR accused in the lawsuit, as reported by motorsport.com.

Denny Hamlin responds to the Chris Gabehart lawsuit and allegations

Chris Gabehart became the crew chief of Denny Hamlin’s No:11 team, after working as an engineer for team for years, in 2019. Till he was given the promotion ahead of the 2025 season, they won 22 races together including the Dayton 500 twice, making him the one of the most accomplished TRD crew chief in history.

Denny Hamlin
Chris Gabehart and Denny Hamlin (via nascar.com)

The duo was seen as one of the best in the sport and when they spilt after the 2024 season, it was a big surprise even for Hamlin. But the partnership continued with the senior role of Gabehart, with Chris Gayle leading the No:11 team to a dominant 2025 season, where they missed out on the championship due to bad luck in the finale.

So, just like the rest of the racing community, Hamlin was stunned with the data theft accusations. He responded to the news via his official X page sharing a GIF of ex-racer Kenny Wallace, who is showing shocked and surprise reaction. Hamlin might speak more about the situation on his podcast next week or during the Atalanta media session.

Ironically the Judge that is set to proceed over the lawsuit is none other than Judge Matthew E. Orso. He is currently overseeing the Pacific life Insurance lawsuit filed by ex-JGR racer Kyle Busch, that allegedly exposed a multi-million-dollar scam.

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