Legacy Motor Club Sues Broker in NASCAR Charter Dispute
Legacy Motor Club has filed a lawsuit against the broker who facilitated the negotiation for the purchase of a charter from Rick Ware Racing (RWR). The main accusation is for illicit interference, as the broker is now seeking to acquire Ware’s NASCAR team. According to the presentation in the North Carolina Superior Court, T.J. Puchyr, who acted as a consultant for the Cup team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, allegedly violated the state’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. It is alleged that Puchyr used “inside knowledge and position of trust to interfere with Legacy’s agreement with RWR”. Legacy also accuses Puchyr of launching personal attacks against Johnson following the announcement of his plans to acquire the Ware racing team. The conflict arose shortly after Legacy agreed with Johnson and his partners at Knighthead Capital Management to purchase one of Ware’s two charters. Legacy claims the agreement is for next season, when they plan to expand to three full-time cars in the Cup. RWR maintains that the agreement was for 2027, as it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease a charter to them next season. Ware states that he did not read the contract carefully when he signed it, noting that it indicated 2026, and that honoring the contract with RFK and selling a second charter to Legacy next year would put the NASCAR team out of business. In April, Legacy sued Ware, and while that dispute continues, they claim Puchyr reached an agreement to buy RWR. Puchyr is a co-founder of Spire Motorsports and now works as a motorsports consultant.This new lawsuit is part of two active litigations related to charters, which are fundamental to NASCAR’s business model. Owning a charter is crucial for a team’s survival. Additionally, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are involved in a prolonged lawsuit with NASCAR over allegations of anti-competitive practices. 23XI, co-owned by Michael Jordan, and Front Row, owned by Bob Jenkins, refused to sign the charter agreements offered by NASCAR last September, after more than two years of negotiations. Both teams were the only ones out of 15 organizations to refuse the extensions. Instead, they filed a lawsuit and await a federal judge’s decision on whether their six combined charters will be revoked, as the case heads toward a trial date of December 1. NASCAR has stated that it has requested settlement proposals on multiple occasions, but has not received a response. NASCAR also has no intention of renegotiating the charter agreements that 30 other teams have. Johnson, despite his own legal battle, expressed his support for a settlement in the antitrust case.“Mr. Puchyr was well aware of the dispute between the parties. He knew about the charter purchase agreement between Legacy and RWR that he himself helped negotiate,” the lawsuit states. “Despite Mr. Puchyr’s internal knowledge of the contract, his obligations under his consulting agreement with Legacy, and Legacy’s contractual right to a charter… Mr. Puchyr recently announced that he intends to purchase both charters from RWR for himself.”
Lawsuit
“I would love to see an agreement of some kind,” Johnson said. “I really don’t think going into a lawsuit is good for anyone.”
Jimmie Johnson
