Folks, another lawsuit drama is underway in NASCAR. While 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are already fighting an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over the charter deal, there’s another charter-related lawsuit that is very different. So, Legacy Motor Club and Rick Ware Racing had a deal where RWR was supposed to sell LMC one of its Cup Series charters. But now LMC has claimed that RWR is backing out. After Jimmie Johnson’s team made a lot of accusations, RWR finally responded to the Legacy MC Lawsuit.
Legacy Motor Club currently has two charters which are piloted by Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. And the young team is eager to expand to a three-driver team. And predominantly, this entire case is based on confusion. According to the Athletic’s report, RWR was under the impression the agreement was for 2027 and was unaware that Legacy had updated the document, which listed 2026 as the date for execution. Thus, the impasse. However, RWR’s recent response has made the case even more confusing.
Who’s speaking the truth in the Legacy MC lawsuit?
So, this all started in January of this year. LMC CEO Cal Wells III had a meeting with RWR owner Rick Ware and his broker to discuss the purchasing of a charter from the latter. According to LMC, on March 3rd, the two parties finalized the deal. LMC has claimed that RWR is “strapped for cash, and unable to compete at a Cup Series level by its own admission,” and hence, “RWR needed to sell one of its charters.” But all of a sudden, RWR is backing out. The Legacy MC Lawsuit claims that RWR is now getting “cold feet.”
In the filing, LMC said, “Despite having a binding deal in place, RWR wants to back out. It has told Legacy that it will not, under any circumstances, close the parties’ transaction. Legacy has tried to talk sense into RWR, to no avail. Legacy’s patience has run out. It now brings this suit to enforce its rights and hold RWR to its deal.” But this might not be the whole truth, as Rick Ware’s team has made strong claims.
A recent statement was released where RWR said, “This lawsuit distorts the actual facts and is a misguided attempt to tarnish our reputation. RWR has negotiated in good faith and operated with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. We are confident that the truth will prevail and look forward to swiftly resolving this matter through the proper legal channels.” The whole case is essentially LMC claiming that RWR is financially struggling, while they are thriving.
Rick Ware Racing team spokesperson on the lawsuit filed by Legacy Motor Club: pic.twitter.com/ayH3jZuptu
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) April 2, 2025
However, there is not much proof yet in the public domain if they (RWR) are struggling financially or not. But one thing is true that the team is struggling in the Cup Series. The team has one full-time entry with Rick’s son, Cody Ware. And currently, he’s 30th in the points standing. RWR has been in the Cup Series since 2011 but has never managed to get a strong footing. In 639 starts, they have never won a race, barely managing two top 5s so far.
Also, they have a second charter, which is currently leased to RFK Racing for their #60 ride driven by Ryan Preece. Now, it is unclear which charter they are selling. Is it the one under which Cody’s driving or the one with RFK? And then there is this whole confusion with the dates. Is the deal supposed to be executed in 2026 or 2027? Well, time will reveal the whole truth. But for now, it seems like Jimmie Johnson is fast-tracking LMC’s growth before it gets too expensive to do that.
Why is Legacy Motor Club in such a hurry?
Jimmie Johnson is a fairly new owner, with LMC being a young team in the Cup Series. And like RWR, they too are yet to find their footing. John Hunter Nemechek is currently 17th in the season, with teammate Erik Jones in 29th. And this is after both the drivers finished the last season outside the top 25. But still, LMC is adding a third charter. Maybe it is JJ trying to follow in Justin Marks’ footsteps.
Remember when Johnson had said, “I have so much respect for Justin’s vision and execution. It’s the way he got on and built Trackhouse, that’s certainly a model that I am inspired by.” Well, Marks’ Trackhouse Racing also expanded to a three-driver team this year, with Shane van Gisbergen piloting the third car. So maybe JJ is hoping to do the same. And not just Trackhouse, RFK Racing became a three-driver team, and so did 23XI Racing, by adding Riley Herbst to their lineup. So it’s kind of a trend for two-driver teams, and Johnson is riding it!
Or it could also be since JJ thinks charters are bound to get more expensive in the future. The seven-time Cup Series veteran recently said, “I think our new high watermark is at $40 million a charter. We had three charters transacted at $40 million and a few more cents, but there were fewer assets attached. Now that we have our new charter agreement. I think you are gonna see 45, 50, 55. The charters are gonna continue to rise.” Well, Jimmie Johnson is the majority owner on the team now, and he’s here to stay. And eventually, they would want to expand, so why not get more charters as soon as possible?
Well, folks, what do you think about this? Is it too soon for Legacy Motor Club? Is Rick Ware Racing in the wrong? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The post Rick Ware & Co. Hit Back at Legacy MC’s Charter Accusations With Bold Verdict appeared first on EssentiallySports.