Judge Orders Document Production in JGR and Spire Lawsuit

Federal judge David C. Keesler ordered Joe Gibbs Racing, Spire Motorsports, and former JGR competition director Chris Gabehart to exchange specific trade secret evidence and discovery documents ahead of a scheduled February 1, 2027 trial. The parties are currently engaged in contentious litigation, prompting the court to intervene in ongoing discovery disputes.

Keesler spent a day reviewing five distinct motions filed by the racing organizations and individuals involved in the legal battle. “Respectfully, the Court wishes the Parties could resolve more of these discovery disputes on their own without Court intervention,” Keesler wrote in his order, noting that both sides “litigate like they race—all out to win.”

Production of Employment Records and Technical Support

Chris Gabehart, who was placed on administrative leave by Spire, successfully requested communications between Toyota Racing Development and JGR regarding his separation, his subsequent employment with Spire, and any anticipated litigation against him. Keesler ruled that this information is relevant and proportional to the needs of the case.

TRD and JGR must also produce documents detailing technical support services provided by TRD to JGR. However, the judge denied Gabehart’s broader request for discussions between TRD and other NASCAR teams regarding his status, calling that demand overly broad and burdensome.

Metadata Demands and Setup Sheets Exchange

Spire requested metadata for allegedly misappropriated documents, alongside original images of files Gabehart screenshotted or photographed. Keesler granted the metadata request and instructed JGR to provide its full agreement with TRD by October 13, alongside monthly spreadsheets from Chief Financial Officer Tim Carmichael beginning in January 2025.

Addressing questions over Gabehart’s specific duties at JGR, the court noted that JGR admitted to having no job description outlining his historical responsibilities. To resolve the ambiguity, Keesler ordered JGR to turn over one month of emails from Gabehart’s tenure as a crew chief and one month from his time as competition director.

With Spire arguing that it cannot adequately prepare for trial while JGR continues to expand its list of trade secrets, Keesler ordered JGR to fully identify its protected trade secrets to Spire by October 16. Acknowledging that race car setups remain a sensitive issue in the litigation, the judge also ordered both Spire and JGR to produce their final, as-raced setup sheets for the 2025 and 2026 NASCAR Cup Series by October 13, limited strictly to events at Daytona, Atlanta, Kansas, and Circuit of the Americas.

Court Limits Spire Technical Document Production

JGR sought extensive technical records from Spire, including run logs, driver debrief forms, engineering meeting materials, and lap analysis documents. While acknowledging the relevance of these materials, Keesler deemed the wholesale request burdensome. He permitted Spire to limit its production exclusively to documents connected to Daytona, Atlanta, Kansas, COTA, and any other races attended directly by Gabehart.

The court declined JGR’s separate request for 20 additional categories of documents. A federal court hearing in Charlotte, North Carolina, is scheduled for October 13 to address JGR’s pending request for a contempt of court order.

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