JGR, Gabehart Clash in Trade Secret Discovery Fight
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 2, 2026
Discovery fight
Joe Gibbs Racing and Spire Motorsports spent a discovery hearing locked in a fight over Chris Gabehart and JGR proprietary information, with the dispute centered on whether Gabehart used confidential material after he became Spire Motorsports’ chief motorsports officer. JGR accused its former competition director of issues involving protected information, but the hearing did not establish that Gabehart used, shared or transmitted anything to Spire. Judge Susan C. Rodriguez had already ordered Gabehart to return JGR files, and she had expressed concern about what he may have used. Gabehart previously acknowledged taking photographs of JGR information before leaving the team, and he said he did not transmit confidential information to Spire. Spire said it found no evidence that confidential information was shared with it. The hearing kept the focus on possession, access and proof, with each side trying to show how much of the disputed material Gabehart handled before and after he changed jobs.
Trade secret scope
The sides also fought over how broad the trade secret dispute should be and what JGR must turn over to move the case forward. Spire asked JGR for a final list of the trade secrets it says were misappropriated. JGR said it is still uncovering additional examples of alleged misconduct. The parties argued over whether JGR must clearly define the trade secrets at issue and whether Toyota’s OEM agreement and related emails must be produced. Toyota Racing Development and Hendrick Motorsports were pulled into that debate as the companies argued over whether some of the information belongs to them instead of JGR. Hendrick said its proprietary information was being protected. JGR also wants Spire to turn over its setup data, saying that material could show misappropriation. That request widened the hearing beyond one employee and one former employer, because it pushed the court to examine what each company says it owns, what it must disclose and what it believes the other side should not see.
Lawsuit pressure
The hearing grew out of a lawsuit JGR filed accusing Gabehart of retaining and using confidential information after he joined Spire Motorsports as chief motorsports officer. That case led to a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction that limited Gabehart’s work. The court ended the day without issuing any rulings, leaving the core discovery fight unresolved. The case remains scheduled for trial. For JGR, the dispute stays tied to its claim that Gabehart carried protected team knowledge into a rival operation. For Gabehart and Spire, the defense has centered on their denials that confidential information was used or shared with the team. The hearing did not settle that question, and it did not produce a final answer on the scope of the trade secrets, the documents still in play or the limits of Gabehart’s work for Spire.
