Just as one courtroom drama ended in the NASCAR world, another has begun. Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a federal lawsuit against its former competition director, Chris Gabehart, alleging he obtained sensitive team information and trade secrets with the intent to share them with rival Spire Motorsports.
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JGR contended that a forensic review of Gabehart’s company-issued laptop showed a folder named ‘Spire’. According to the team, it held several sensitive internal materials, such as team setup data and performance analytics. Gabehart has stated that these are baseless allegations.
Amid the raging controversy, Denny Hamlin broke his silence on the situation that involves his former crew chief. Yes, Gabehart served as Hamlin’s crew chief for many seasons before moving up the team ladder. So, Hamlin has a strong relationship with him.
Hamlin touched on the matter in a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast and explained why things don’t look very good for Gabehart. He also made a case for why teams are right to be very protective of their data.
“Do you know how much faster we could be if we had all of Hendrick’s information? And they have ours? You just can’t let that happen. Which is why the teams are so very protective of their information. What separates us is what our employees come up with during those weeks,” the 23XI Racing co-owner said.
“I’m sure Joe Gibbs Racing has spent tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decades coming up with what they think is the right answer every weekend,” he added. “And they deserve to protect that,” he added.
Hamlin now faces a dilemma unlike any other. What he is certain of, however, is that Joe Gibbs never looks for a fight, and if he has chosen to file a lawsuit, it means he is fully committed to it.
Looking at it from the perspective of a team co-owner, Hamlin said that he understands how much work teams put in to separate themselves from competitors. He believes that the effort must be protected.
Joe Gibbs Racing is seeking at least $8 million in damages and has framed the case as trade secret theft. The dust has barely settled on the charter lawsuit between 23XI Racing and NASCAR. Now the cameras and the attention of the motorsport world will be back in the courtroom again.
