Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin has made a key declaration in the ongoing lawsuit between his team, Chris Gabehart and NASCAR rivals Spire Motorsports.
Gabehart, who was formerly Hamlin's crew chief before moving on to the role of Director of Competition at JGR, found himself the subject of a lawsuit late last month for allegedly embarking 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".
Gabehart and Spire both deny this. However, after it came to light, they did confirm him as their new Chief Motorsports Officer, sparking JGR to add their name to the lawsuit and seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would prevent him from working there for a period of time.
A judge did not rule wholly in their favor on the TRO, but did state that while Gabehart can continue working at Spire, he cannot assume any roles that overlap with the duties he performed as Director of Competition at JGR.
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Denny Hamlin lawsuit declaration
Now, another twist in the ongoing saga has occurred, with JGR filing another document in which Hamlin made a declaration regarding the data Gabehart allegedly tried to bring with him to his new role.
“I have reviewed the description of the materials Gabehart apparently retained on his personal cell phone and personal Google Drive account as described in the Walter Brown declaration," Hamlin declared (via The Athletic). "This information represents the crown jewels of our racing operation."
The driver of the No. 11 Toyota later added: "The materials Gabehart took – including car setups, simulation files, post-race analytics, tire management strategies, fuel mileage calculations, and pit crew performance data – represent decades of JGR’s research, development, and innovation specifically designed to optimize speed and win races.
"These materials provide a comprehensive roadmap for JGR’s competitive strategies and are the exact set of proprietary and confidential information any of JGR’s competitors would want in order to understand JGR’s processes, technological capabilities, and payment structures that have led to JGR’s overwhelming success."
JGR hired a private investigator to follow Gabehart
The same court filing also revealed that JGR had hired a private investigator to follow Gabehart and Spire Motorsports co-owner, Jeff Dickerson.
The filing states that an employee of Barefoot Private Investigations photographed and videotaped Gabehart and Dickerson meeting for lunch (Dec. 2). This was after the team had carried out a forensic investigation of Gabehart's JGR laptop after he aroused their suspicion by rejecting a separation agreement that was offered on November 10.
"On December 2, 2025, I witnessed Gabehart drive his vehicle to the Spire Motorsports ("Spire") facility at 11:54 AM. At 12:02 PM, Spire owner Jeff Dickerson ("Dickerson") entered Gabehart's vehicle," part of the private investigator's declaration read, via Motorsport.com.
"Gabehart then drove to a nearby restaurant, which they entered at 12:22 PM. From 12:22 PM to 1:47 PM, Gabehart and Dickerson remained together at the restaurant ... Gabehart and Dickerson departed the restaurant at 1:47 PM and arrived back at Spire's facility at 2:00 PM."
Both Gabehart and Spire Motorsports deny any wrongdoing.
"I feel very good about how Spire has conducted things," Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports (Spire's parent company), said recently.
"Spire doesn’t want data from Joe Gibbs Racing. It doesn’t have data from Joe Gibbs Racing. No point in time has it had data from Joe Gibbs Racing."
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