Chris Gabehart, the former competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), has acknowledged taking photos of internal team documents during the ongoing Chris Gabehart JGR legal dispute. The situation has attracted attention as Gabehart’s declaration in the Western District of North Carolina revealed he admitted to taking these photos in November last year but maintained they were not shared externally.
Gabehart clarified in legal filings that he personally funded a forensic audit, which, according to him, verified that none of the images made their way to rival teams, including Spire Motorsports. JGR, concerned about the integrity of internal materials, identified a folder named “Spire” in Gabehart’s Google Drive during its review. Gabehart explained that this folder had been created only after he received a job offer from Spire, serving as his own working space to assess the opportunity as chief motorsports officer.
“At all times, I understood my confidentiality obligations to JGR and had no intent to violate those obligations,”
Chris Gabehart mentioned in his declaration.
Elaborating on the background, Gabehart explained that the creation of the “Spire” folder was simply a measure to help him consider his options, as both JGR and Gabehart were working toward a mutual separation agreement in late 2025.
“Following receipt of the offer from Spire on November 13, 2025,”
Gabehart explained.
“I created a folder in my Google Drive named ‘Spire’ that I used as my personal working space to evaluate the job offer and consider my options since I understood JGR and I were working towards a mutual separation agreement.”
“I did access that folder after it was created. However, I did not use any confidential JGR information (including any confidential information that was contained in subfolders contained in that file) while working in the folder,”
he confirmed.
Court proceedings in the dispute are scheduled for Friday, February 27. Meanwhile, JGR is aggressively seeking a temporary restraining order that would prohibit Gabehart from working with Spire Motorsports for 18 months starting February 9, 2026. This legal step underlines the significance that Joe Gibbs Racing places on containing potential leaks of proprietary competition information as the legal dispute continues.
Allegations of Preferential Treatment at Joe Gibbs Racing Surface
In a broader context, Gabehart’s declaration has taken aim at the internal culture within JGR, particularly criticizing how family ties may have influenced key decisions. He described the organizational structure of Joe Gibbs Racing as plagued by internal politics, pointing especially to the treatment of Ty Gibbs, team owner Joe Gibbs’ grandson, and the involvement of family members in daily operations.
Gabehart emphasized that although he anticipated stepping into a chief operating-like position, he was repeatedly hindered by layered management and family connections, calling the workplace dynamic dysfunctional.
“Instead, I found myself constantly intertwined with Coach Gibbs, senior JGR executives and family members when making even routine competition decisions,”
Gabehart wrote in his declaration.
“A dysfunctional organizational structure that I could not continue in.”
This assertion suggests a culture within JGR that may create frustrations for high-level team members not part of the family, calling into question the long-term impact of such practices on staff morale and decision-making.
Focus Remains on Racing as Legal Clash Unfolds
While legal proceedings capture headlines, attention is also on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, with the Circuit of The Americas set to host the upcoming DuraMax Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne. Fans will be able to follow the action live on FOX, while PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide coverage for listeners. The ongoing Chris Gabehart JGR legal dispute, involving names such as Joe Gibbs, Ty Gibbs, and Denny Hamlin, underscores the tensions present off the track even as the racing world looks ahead to its next big event.
Gabehart admits that he did take photos on his cell phone, but it was files that he had created or had a role in creating, and they were not going to be shared, and he has not done so. When it came to leaving the company, Gabehart was told to tell people he was "on vacation" as…
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) February 25, 2026
