On Monday evening, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) presented photos taken over the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway that alleged Chris Gabehart breached a temporary restraining order.
As outlined in JGR’s lawsuit claiming a ‘brazen scheme’ by Gabehart to steal and potentially distribute proprietary information while violating a non-compete agreement related to his new role as Chief Motorsports Officer at Spire Motorsports, Judge Susan Rodriguez imposed a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Gabehart.
The TRO permits Gabehart to work at Spire but prohibits him from undertaking tasks similar to his former position as competition director at JGR. This measure is intended to allow Gabehart to maintain employment while the parties work towards a settlement or prepare for a trial scheduled for November.
Despite the order, Gabehart has been attending Cup Series events, and JGR appears to be monitoring him closely to compile evidence for legal filings like the one submitted recently.
In reaction to the surveillance and allegations, Gabehart and his legal team requested the court dismiss the claims. They criticized JGR for its “improper attempts to introduce surveillance images as evidence,” emphasizing that routine activity has been misinterpreted as misconduct.
Gabehart, along with his legal representatives, asserted that Matt McCall holds the competition director position at Spire, negating the need for anyone else to undertake those responsibilities. They pointed out that Gabehart’s role as Chief Motorsports Officer significantly differs from that of a competition director.
In his declaration, Gabehart clarified that he was not engaged in competition-related duties during the Bristol event, comparing his position to that of other executives, including Joe Gibbs and Jeff Gordon, noting that his use of radio was purely for monitoring purposes.
