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A season full of controversy continued for NASCAR recently with claims that an engineer for a Cup Series team was bribed to access proprietary information and shared it with another team.
NASCAR is currently investigating the allegations.
The news comes on the heels of Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman getting disqualified from the Cup Series playoffs after failing postrace inspection at Charlotte on Sunday. Hendrick Motorsports opted not to appeal the penalty.
The two controversies are thought to be unrelated.
Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press reports that neither team involved in the intellectual property theft has filed a complaint with NASCAR.
NASCAR Investigating Joe Gibbs Racing Engineer Over Bribery Allegations
NASCAR officials told Fryer that they had heard that an unnamed team paid a Joe Gibbs Racing engineer cash in exchange for setup information from the team.
The engineer is in a contract year with Joe Gibbs Racing, according to executives with six teams who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because the details are considered private and have not been disclosed publicly. Joe Gibbs Racing, which has two cars still competing for the Cup title, declined to comment.
The engineer had been exploring options with other teams as the season draws to a close, multiple team officials told the AP on Sunday, confirming they discussed possible employment.
“The engineer is in a contract year with Joe Gibbs Racing, according to executives with six teams who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because the details are considered private and have not been disclosed publicly,” Fryer writes. “Joe Gibbs Racing, which has two cars still competing for the Cup title, declined to comment.
“The engineer had been exploring options with other teams as the season draws to a close, multiple team officials told the AP on Sunday, confirming they discussed possible employment.”
NASCAR cannot act on the situation unless Gibbs files a complaint with NASCAR or a lawsuit. This leaves the series in a position where its hands are tied. It also raises concerns about future intellectual property theft.