LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and Rick Ware Racing have reached an agreement regarding the sale and transaction of a NASCAR Cup Series charter, the teams jointly announced on Friday.
The two NASCAR Cup Series operations have been in active litigation with each other since April, after LEGACY MOTOR CLUB sued Rick Ware Racing for attempting to back out of an agreement to sell one of the team’s charters, which was signed and initialed on March 3, 2025.
Throughout the initial court proceedings, one of the major points of stagnation was the timing of the transfer — with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB claiming the charter should be transferred before the 2026 season, and Rick Ware Racing saying the original agreement was for 2027.
All of the legal actions taken since the suit was filed in the last five months — including the initial suit by LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and the countersuit filed by Rick Ware Racing — have been dropped, as the two teams have come to some kind of agreement.
“Reaching a positive outcome was important for everyone involved,” said Jimmie Johnson, owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. “I truly respect the effort put forth by Robby Benton and Rick Ware to reach a settlement so we may all focus on our business operations and future goals. I’m glad this is behind us and we can all move forward in unison.”
In August, there was another sizeable snag in this legal process, though.
Less than two months beforehand, Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press reported that former Spire Motorsports owner T.J. Puchyr would be purchasing Rick Ware Racing following the conclusion of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign.
However, with this ongoing legal battle with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, the multi-car organization owned by Jimmie Johnson didn’t take kindly to that, and requested (and were granted) a 10-day temporary restraining order to prevent the closing of the RWR sale to Puchyr.
“I met with both Jimmie [Johnson] and Cal Wells recently, and we came to an agreement to sell and transfer a charter from RWR to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB,” said Rick Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing. “I believe we landed in a mutually beneficial place for both teams, and the result will be a clear path forward for us all. I look forward to putting all of our focus on finishing the 2025 season strong.”
Now that the legal matter is officially cleared, it’s time for the dominoes to fall. At this time, it’s unknown when this charter exchange will take place. Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reports that Rick Ware Racing will continue to field the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse as a chartered entry in 2026, and that RFK Racing will continue its lease agreement with RWR.
Based on those comments from the team’s representatives, it would stand to reason that the transfer of a NASCAR Cup Series charter from Rick Ware Racing to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB will take place ahead of the 2027 season. However, nothing has been confirmed at this time.
