Judge Blocks Sale of Rick Ware Racing NASCAR Team to Legacy Motor Club
In a recent court ruling, the North Carolina judge has granted a preliminary injunction to Legacy Motor Club, preventing the sale of Rick Ware’s NASCAR team. This decision arises amid a legal dispute related to one of Ware’s contracts.
The agreement between Legacy and Rick Ware Racing, established earlier this year, included the sale by Ware of one of his two NASCAR Cup contracts to Legacy. These contracts are essential for participation in races and determine the remuneration of the teams.
Jimmie Johnson, owner of Legacy and seven-time NASCAR champion, was looking to acquire the contract to expand his participation. A payment of $45 million was agreed upon to Ware for one of its contracts. Ware currently uses one of them for its own team and the other is leased to RFK Racing for 2025.
Ware already had an agreement with RFK to exchange contracts in 2026, under another lease agreement. Ware argues that, because of that agreement, he agreed to sell a contract to Legacy in 2027.
Legacy filed a lawsuit, claiming Ware signed a contract for the sale in 2026, which would essentially leave him inactive, as he had already promised a contract to RFK. Meanwhile, Ware reached an agreement with the agent who negotiated the contract deal with Legacy for him to buy all his NASCAR equipment for $150 million.
Judge Clifton Smith of Mecklenburg Superior Court issued the court order preventing Ware from selling his organization to T.J. Puchyr, co-founder of Spire Motorsports and now a motorsports consultant. Puchyr was the one who negotiated the sale agreement of the disputed contract.
The court order extends a previous temporary restraining order issued by the judge, which suspended the sale. Smith determined that Legacy demonstrated the likelihood of success in its case, that it would likely suffer irreparable losses if the court order was not issued, and that the potential damage to Legacy outweighed any potential damage to Ware.
The $5 million bond Legacy posted remained in effect. The trial is scheduled for January, but Legacy has filed a second lawsuit against Puchyr for interfering with its agreement with Ware. Legacy has also terminated its consulting agreement with Puchyr.
