NASCAR in court: Joe Gibbs Racing sues former competition director

Hanging over much of NASCAR's offseason was a nine-day trial that ended with the sanctioning body of stock car racingsettling with Michael Jordan's 23XI Racingand another team, Front Row Motorsports.

Now, the sport is seemingly headed back to court.

Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit in the Western District of North Carolina on Thursday against the team's former competition director, Chris Gabehart. Gibbs' team alleges that Gabehart "embarked 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."

USA TODAY Sports obtained a copy of the lawsuit, where JGR seeks to recover damages of up to $8 million because Gabehart allegedly violated "his contractual obligations and wrongfully" used "JGR's confidential information and trade secrets."

JGR claims that Gabehart stole the team's trade secrets after his demands for additional authority with the organization were "rebuffed" and he became "dissatisfied" with his position at JGR.

The filing did not request an injunction preventing Gabehart from working for Spire, though it's unclear if he actually reached an employment agreement with the team. Gabehart is not listed on Spire's website in a leadership or crew chief position. Spire is also not named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit.

According to JGR's claims, Gabehart met with team owner Joe Gibbs on Nov. 6, 2025 and demanded authority that would give him "carte blanche" over all racing decisions. When Gibbs declined to give Gabehart that power, Gabehart informed Gibbs he preferred to leave JGR and the two parties began working towards what JGR believed was an "amicable" and "generous" separation agreement.

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However, JGR says it became "suspicious" of Gabehart's intentions when it learned he had already allegedly met with Jeff Dickerson, the owner of Spire. JGR says it then conducted a forensic investigation of Gabehart's JGR-owned laptop and found "shocking" results.

JGR claims that its forensic investigation revealed that Gabehart allegedly synced his personal Google Drive with his JGR laptop, repeatedly conducted online research about Spire while he was still employed by JGR, had a Google Drive folder titled "Spire," and captured "more than a dozen" photos the day after his meeting with Gibbs — Nov. 7 — that contained "images of JGR files containing Confidential Information and Trade Secrets."

Additionally, JGR alleges that the photos also contained "comprehensive post-race audit and analyses of team and driver performance" for the entire 2025 season, complete team payroll details and compensation plans, pit crew analytics for the 2024 NASCAR season, and "detailed analytics of racecar tires used to assess impact on race results."

JGR says it learned on Feb. 11 that Gabehart had taken the position as Spire's chief motorsports officer, a role in which he "would be responsible for all of Spire's racing strategy and operations," which JGR contends is similar to what he did for them as competition director. Previously, JGR claims, Gabehart told them in December that his position with Spire wouldn't be similar to the role he had with JGR.

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Considered to be one of the smartest minds around the NASCAR garage, the 44-year-old Gabehart began his career in NASCAR's Cup Series in 2012 as an engineer on Kyle Busch's car with JGR. He was then the crew chief for Erik Jones in the second-tier Xfinity Series, then became the crew chief for Denny Hamlin's No. 11 in 2019. With Gabehart leading his team, Hamlin won 22 races in a six-year stretch, including a pair of Daytona 500s. Hamlin also made the final championship four in three seasons.

The winner of three Super Bowls as the head coach of Washington, Joe Gibbs founded Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992. The team has won five Cup Series championships, most recently with Busch in 2019. Gibbs' grandson Ty — now a Cup Series driver — won the team's fourth Xfinity Series championship in 2022.

A member of both the Pro Football and NASCAR hall of fames, Gibbs now co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law Heather. In addition to his grandson and Hamlin, the team also fields Cup Series cars driven by Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NASCAR in court: Joe Gibbs Racing sues former competition director

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

NASCAR in court: Joe Gibbs Racing sues former competition director

Hanging over much of NASCAR's offseason was a nine-day trial that ended with the sanctioning body of stock car racin...

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MLB's 1st female ump, Jen Pawol, works spring training but doesn't get a permanent staff opening

NEW YORK (AP) — Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year butthe major leagues' first female umpiredid not get one of the permanent staff openings.

Umpires Baseball

Tom Hanahan and Brian Walsh were promoted Friday to replace Mark Carlson and Phil Cuzzi, who are retiring. Carlson will become an umpire supervisor.

Jordan Baker, who worked the plate in Game 7 of last year's World Series, will replace Carlson as a crew chief.

Pawol, 49, became the first female major league umpire Aug. 9 and worked a total of five big league games last year. In 2024, she became the first woman to umpire big league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol has been a minor league ump since 2016 and has worked at Triple-A since 2023.

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Walsh, 41, has worked 339 major league games as a call-up umpire and Hanahan, who is 35, has worked 329. Both made their major league debuts in 2023.

The 56-year-old Carlson made his major league debut in 1999 and has been a crew chief since 2021. He worked the World Series in 2015, 2020 and 2024, and he was behind the plate fora no-hitter by the Los Angeles Angels' Jered Weaveron May 2, 2012.

Cuzzi, 70, worked his first major league game in 1991 and worked the World Series in 2017. He was the plate umpire for no-hitters by St. Louis' Bud Smith on Sept. 3, 2001, andby Philadelphia's Cole Hamelson July 25, 2015.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

MLB's 1st female ump, Jen Pawol, works spring training but doesn't get a permanent staff opening

NEW YORK (AP) — Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year butthe major leagues' first...

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MLB star Bryce Harper wants more fighting in baseball: 'If you want to go, you want to go'

Bryce Harperwas part of one of the better bench-clearing brawls in recent memory, and it seems like he wouldn't mind being in more.

Harper, of course,charged the moundto go fist for fist with relief pitcher Hunter Strickland in 2017, stemming from beef the two had years earlier.

The two-time MVP watched the film of the fight on a recent episode of "Bussin' With The Boys," and gave a wild opinion.

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"I think this should happen more often in baseball," Harper said. "I think it would eliminate guys throwing at each other. It'sjust like hockey. If you want to go, you want to go.

"This is just part of the game. Obviously, I don't want to fight anyone on the baseball field. But there comes a time where it's like, hey dude you get drilled, it is what it is at that point."

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Harper also said there is "no bad blood" between himself and Strickland anymore.

Harper was suspended for four games, while Strickland was out for six. Fighting in hockey is normally a five-minute major, but further punishment could occur.

Harper is going into his 15th MLB season — he's a lifetime .280 hitter with a .905 OPS.

Follow Fox News Digital'ssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Original article source:MLB star Bryce Harper wants more fighting in baseball: 'If you want to go, you want to go'

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

MLB star Bryce Harper wants more fighting in baseball: 'If you want to go, you want to go'

Bryce Harperwas part of one of the better bench-clearing brawls in recent memory, and it seems like he wouldn't mind...

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UCLA coach Mick Cronin apologizes after ejecting his own player in blowout loss to Michigan State

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin issued a long apology Friday, days after hethrew his own player out of a lossfor a hard foul and got into it with a reporter.

Cronin said he directly apologized to center Steven Jamerson II, and that he thought he had committed a dirty play late in East Lansing in the final moments of UCLA's 82-59 loss against Michigan State. Now, after seeing the tape and all of the pushback, Cronin realized that wasn't what had happened.

"It's the only reason I sent him to the locker room," Cronin said, via the SoCal News Group's Aaron Heisen. "I thought he literally made a dirty play and tried to wipe the guy out. … To me, that's a bad play. You can't be down 25 or getting your butt kicked, don't try to take somebody out, hurt somebody on the other team, which is what I thought."

Cronin threw Jamerson out of the game himselfafter Jamerson drilled Michigan State center Carson Cooper on a breakaway dunk late in the blowout loss Tuesday night. Jamerson was called for a foul in the moment, though Cronin wasn't having it.

He called Jamerson over to the bench, grabbed him by his jersey and started walking him off the floor. Jamerson left without much protest.

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"I guess he upgraded that to a Flagrant 2, huh? That's the first time I've [seen] a coach do that," Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. "That sounded like Mick, he'll get that straightened out."

Jamerson, a senior, finished with two points and two rebounds in eight minutes. He was hit with a technical foul on the play, as was Cooper for his reaction. Cooper split his free throws for the original foul, which put Michigan State up by 28 points at the time.

After the game, Cronin was still in a terrible mood. He got into it with a reporter who asked him about Michigan State's student section, and then Cronin asked if that reporter was raising his voice at him.

Cronin apologized for his behavior in general Friday, too, and said he needs to "dial back some of my humor" after the wave of criticism he received this week.

"In this climate, you have to be careful with what you say," he said. "Because, I'm a good fit here because I know I'm not bigger than the brand. The brand matters here, the school matters. The last thing I want to do is bring negative publicity to our school.

"Sometimes, because it's not about me, I don't care what people think about me, I need to do a better job knowing, 'Well I am the coach here.' I need to make sure I don't do anything to embarrass our school. For that, I apologize."

Cronin is in his sixth season at UCLA, which started the season No. 12 in the national rankings before falling out completely. Cronin holds a 155-73 record with the Bruins, whom he led to a Final Four in his second campaign with the school.

UCLA now sits at 17-9 this season after back-to-back blowout losses last week. The Bruins will host No. 10 Illinois on Saturday.

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

UCLA coach Mick Cronin apologizes after ejecting his own player in blowout loss to Michigan State

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin issued a long apology Friday, days after hethrew his own player out of a lossfor a hard foul...

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Venus Williams earns a wild card return to Indian Wells for singles and doubles

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) —Venus Williamsis getting a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the BNP Paribas Open next month in the Southern California desert.

The 45-year-old will be making her first appearance in the tournament since 2024, when she lost in the first round as a wild card. She's a three-time semifinalist, most recently in 2018. She boycotted the event between 2002 and 2016 after a controversial incident in 2001.

"It's an honor to award the first wild card of this year's event to Venus Williams," tournament director Tommy Haas said Friday. "Venus is a legend of the game, and one of the most accomplished players our sport has ever seen."

It will be Williams' 10th career appearance in the tournament, which runs March 4-15. A year ago, she was given a wild card, but didn't accept it.

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"I'm so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can't wait to return home to play in California," Williams said.

She most recentlycompeted in the Australian Open, losing in the first round in singles and doubles.

Williams is scheduled to compete in the ATX Open, a WTA 250 event in Austin, Texas, that starts Saturday and runs through March 1.

AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

Venus Williams earns a wild card return to Indian Wells for singles and doubles

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) —Venus Williamsis getting a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the BNP Paribas O...

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Browns tab Travis Switzer as OC, Mike Rutenberg as DC, and Byron Storer as special teams coordinator

CLEVELAND (AP) —Todd Monkenstarted the process of filling out his first coaching staff with theCleveland Brownsby naming his coordinators on Friday.

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Travis Switzer was named offensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg will direct the defense and Byron Storer will be the special teams coordinator.

This is Monken's firstNFLhead coaching job after 11 years as an assistant. He spent the previous three seasons as Baltimore's offensive coordinator.

Switzer was the run game coordinator in Baltimore the past three seasons. During that span, the Ravens led the league in rushing yards (166.9 per game), average rushing yards per carry (5.31) and rushes of 10-plus yards (230).

The Ravens also had the league's top-ranked offense in 2024, becoming the first team in NFL history with at least 4,000 passing and 3,000 rushing yards in a season.

Switzer went to college at Akron and has spent his entire NFL coaching career in Baltimore, starting as an administrative/performance staff assistant in 2017.

It will be the fourth straight season the Browns have had a different offensive coordinator. Monken, however, will call the offensive plays.

Monken and Switzer will need to determine the starting quarterback. The Browns have had a league-high 13 quarterbacks since 2020, including seven over the past two seasons.

Shedeur Sanders started the final seven games, going 3-4. He had a 56.6% completion rate and a 68.1 passer rating with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Deshaun Watson has played in only 19 games since being acquired in 2022. He has gone 9-10 as Cleveland's starter with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 80.7 passer rating. He did not play in 2025 while rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon.

Dillon Gabriel, last year's third-round pick who started six games, is also on the roster.

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Rutenberg replacesJim Schwartz, who resigned after being passed over for the head coach opening. Monken said in a statement that Rutenberg has been in systems similar to Schwartz "but not the exact system because Jim was unique."

"They can say attacking style, but then there's attacking style, which is what they've done here up front," Monken said. "I think that background of being a four-down attacking style, but not exact, (and) to add some things that they had done before that I thought would mesh really well with the current staff, was a big part of that."

Schwartz was the architect of one of the league's top defenses the past three seasons. Cleveland led the league in total defense in 2023 and ranked fourth this season as Myles Garrett had 23 sacks andbroke the NFL single-season record.

Garrett was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and linebacker Carson Schwesinger the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Rutenberg — who was Atlanta's defensive pass game coordinator this past season — has 16 years of NFL experience. He came into the league as a player personnel intern and assistant to the head coach in Washington (2003-05) along with stops in Jacksonville (2013-19), San Francisco (2020) and the new York Jets (2021-24).

Storer has coached in the NFL for 12 years, including the past four as the assistant special teams coach in Green Bay. Storer has also coached in Tampa Bay (2010-11), San Diego (2012-13) and the Raiders (2018-21). He stepped way from coaching for four years to help start a new branch of his family's transportation business in San Francisco.

Storer replaces Bubba Ventrone, who was Cleveland's special teams coordinator the past three seasons before heading to the Los Angeles Rams.

Even though the NFL scouting combine begins next week, Monken said during his introductory news conference that there wasn't a deadline to get his entire coaching staff hired.

"I don't control that. I mean we're going to vet as many candidates as we can to get it right," he said. "I think, just like they all vetted for the head coach coaching position, don't get worn out — make sure you get the right people at the start, and that's what we're going to do. So, there is no timeline to get it right."

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

Browns tab Travis Switzer as OC, Mike Rutenberg as DC, and Byron Storer as special teams coordinator

CLEVELAND (AP) —Todd Monkenstarted the process of filling out his first coaching staff with theCleveland Brownsby naming...

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Princess Eugenie Spotted at Ski Resort in Switzerland Ahead of Ex-Prince Andrew's Arrest: Report

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; DAVID HARTLEY/Shutterstock

NEED TO KNOW

• Princess Eugenie was reportedly seen skiing with her family on the eve of her father Andrew's arrest

• The former Prince Andrew, now called Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Feb. 19

• Princess Eugenie was spotted in Gstaad, Switzerland, with her husband and children, according to Hello! magazine

Princess Eugeniereportedly hit the slopes in Switzerland shortly before her father, the formerPrince Andrew, was arrested.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wasarrested in Sandringham on Thursday, Feb. 19, his 66th birthday, and his younger daughter was spotted skiing in Gstaad on Wednesday, Feb. 18,Hello!magazinereported.

According to the outlet, the princess was with her husband,Jack Brooksbank, and their sonsAugust, 5, andErnest, 2. They were also joined by the family's nanny and a group of friends.

Hello!reported that they spent time skiing and had lunch at the slopeside Restaurant Waldmatte, where they sat inside.

Princess Eugenie/Instagram

"They were tucked away in a corner and casually dressed in ski gear and jackets, and Jack was wearing a beanie hat as they both browsed the menu," said a diner who saw them at lunchtime, per the outlet.

Switzerland is a special place for Eugenie and Jack, 39, who met during a ski trip to Verbier in 2010 and married in 2018. Her parents, the former Duke of York andSarah Ferguson, alsopreviously owned a ski chalet in Verbier, which was sold in 2022 amid a financial dispute with the former owner, who took the issue to court in 2020.

Princess Eugenie/Instagram

On Feb. 19, Eugenie's father was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Authorities are investigating him around a claim that he shared confidential information with the late Jeffrey Epstei​​n while acting as a trade envoy for the U.K., a position he held from 2001 to 2011. Andrew's ties to Epsteinset his step back from public life in motionin 2019, and he has continuously denied any wrongdoing in relation to their relationship.

PEOPLE understands thatBuckingham Palace was not informed of Andrew's arrest in advance, and the King, 77, released a statement soon aftervowing that the palace would cooperate with authoritiesin the investigation.

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Andrew was arrested around 8 a.m. local time andwas seen leaving Aylsham Police Station in Norfolkafter spending approximately 11 hours in custody. Policesaidon Thursday that they wrapped their searches in Norfolk, home to Andrew's current residence, while their searches continue in Berkshire, where his Royal Lodge residence, from which he was recently evicted, is located.

Leon Neal/Getty ; RICHARD WAINWRIGHT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

As Princess Eugenie and her sister,Princess Beatrice, navigate a renewed family fallout amid their father's arrest,a source tells PEOPLE that they are keeping their distance.

"They're trying to stay away from it. They have young children, and this is their grandfather — their focus is on protecting their own children from this," the source says.

As they protect their own families, the source adds, "They're also putting pieces of the puzzle together in real time and realizing they may have been used."

"That has to feel like a complete betrayal. They're heartbroken — but a dad is still your dad, and a mom is still your mom. Love for a parent isn't a light switch. It's an incredibly painful and introspective moment for them," the source says.

Paul Grover/Shutterstock

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have maintained their relationship with their father and mother during the recent turns of the former couple's Epstein-related fall from grace, inviting them tolow-profile family eventsandspending time together privately.

Read the original article onPeople

byCosmopolite

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February 20, 2026

Princess Eugenie Spotted at Ski Resort in Switzerland Ahead of Ex-Prince Andrew's Arrest: Report

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; DAVID HARTLEY/Shutterstock NEED TO KNOW Princess Eugenie was reportedly ...

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