Judge Blocks Sale of Rick Ware Racing NASCAR Team: Charters in Dispute

Legal Battle in NASCAR: Legacy Motor Club Secures Injunction Against Rick Ware

In a recent turn in the NASCAR scene, a North Carolina judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking Rick Ware from selling his racing team. The decision comes amid a legal dispute over one of his charters. The controversy stems from a prior agreement between Legacy Motor Club and Rick Ware Racing. Earlier this year, it was agreed that Ware would sell one of his two Cup charters, which are essential for race participation and determine financial compensation for the teams. Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, was seeking to acquire this charter.

The initial agreement contemplated the sale of a charter for 45 million dollars to expand Legacy’s participation to three cars. Ware, for his part, already had an agreement with RFK Racing to exchange charters in 2026 under a lease agreement. Ware argues that, due to this existing agreement, he agreed to sell a charter to Legacy in 2027.

Legacy filed a lawsuit, alleging that Ware signed a contract for a sale in 2026, which would essentially put him out of business, given the prior commitment to RFK Racing. Meanwhile, Ware reached an agreement with the racer who negotiated the charter deal with Legacy, for the latter to buy all his NASCAR team for 150 million dollars. Judge Clifton Smith of Mecklenburg Superior Court issued the court order preventing Ware from selling the organization to T.J. Puchyr, co-founder of Spire Motorsports and now a motorsports consultant. Puchyr was the intermediary in the disputed charter sale agreement.

Smith determined that Legacy demonstrated the likelihood of success in its case, that it would likely suffer irreparable loss if an injunction was not issued, and that the potential harm to Legacy outweighed any potential harm to Ware.

Judge Clifton Smith

The trial is scheduled for January, but Legacy has filed a second lawsuit against Puchyr for interfering with its agreement with Ware. In addition, Legacy has terminated its consulting agreement with Puchyr.