NASCAR aware of allegations that team engineer stole intellectual property to give to rival team – Auto Racing

Photo: The Canadian Press

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has acknowledged that it is aware of allegations that an engineer at a Cup Series team accessed proprietary information and shared it with another team.

The stock series did not release any details about the allegations because neither team has filed a complaint with NASCAR. But a spokesman for the series confirmed to The Associated Press at Charlotte Motor Speedway over the weekend that it is aware of a scandal between the two teams.

The engineer has a one-year contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, according to six team executives who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the details are considered private and have not been publicly disclosed. Joe Gibbs Racing, which still has two cars competing for the Cup title, declined to comment.

The engineer had been exploring options with other teams as the season wound down, several team officials told the AP Sunday, confirming that they discussed a possible job.

NASCAR acknowledged to the AP that it has heard that one team, with no cars in the playoffs, paid cash to the engineer in exchange for setup information.

Until a lawsuit is filed or a complaint is filed with NASCAR, the series can’t do anything, raising concerns that employees could hand over the intellectual property to rivals without ramifications.

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