SONOMA, CA – JULY 13: Seven time NASCAR champion, Jimmie Johnson, poses for a photo as he is inducted into the Sonoma Raceway Wall of Fame prior to the running the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 on July 13, 2025, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Sonoma Raceway/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
One lawsuit down, one to go.
Most of the attention in NASCAR’s legal world this season has been focused on the main event: a heavyweight main event between 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. But on the undercard was another fight, less flashy perhaps, but every bit as important. And one that quietly wrapped up on Friday. Legacy Motor Club and Rick Ware Racing announced they’ve resolved their charter dispute, bringing an end to a case that shows just how much trouble these charters are causing behind the scenes.
Because it seems that the hottest things in NASCAR right now aren’t cars or drivers—it’s charters. Something designed to provide teams with financial stability has instead spawned lawsuits, injunctions, and enough legal filings to paper Daytona’s grandstands.
Legacy, co-owned by seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, believed it had secured one of Rick Ware Racing’s charters for the 2026 season. Ware, however, insisted the deal didn’t kick in until 2027. That single-year discrepancy ignited a chain reaction of lawsuits, injunctions, and courtroom dates that could have dragged deep into 2026.
To add another twist, Legacy worked with investor T.J. Puchyr to arrange the $45 million purchase, only to see him later attempt to buy RWR outright for $150 million. Lawyers got involved, injunctions flew, and the entire affair began to resemble a particularly messy divorce settlement, except instead of arguing over who gets the house, the prize was a multimillion-dollar ticket to NASCAR relevance.
Legacy filed suit in April in North Carolina, alleging RWR was trying to wriggle out of the agreement. They pushed for an injunction to freeze the charter, arguing they’d suffer “immediate and irreparable harm” otherwise. A judge wasn’t convinced and declined to issue one this week, leaving the courtroom battle on track for January 2026. For a moment, it looked like both sides were in for months of expensive and very public lawyering.
And then—perhaps realizing that racing teams tend to be better at building stock cars than legal arguments—they sat down and struck a deal.
“Reaching a positive outcome was important for everyone involved,” Johnson said in a statement Friday. “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.”
Ware, for his part, echoed the sentiment. “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.”
The terms of the settlement remain confidential, but both parties stressed that the charter will transfer from RWR to Legacy. That clears the path for Johnson’s group to expand to three full-time entries in 2026—a big step for a team that has made no secret of its long-term ambitions.
For NASCAR, the resolution removes at least one legal cloud over its charter system, though another thunderstorm remains with the high-profile 23XI-Front Row dispute. But for now, Legacy and RWR have parked the lawyers and put the focus back where it belongs: on the track.
Disclaimer: This news has been automatically collected from the source link above. Our website does not create, edit, or publish the content. All information, statements, and opinions expressed belong solely to the original publisher. We are not responsible or liable for the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any news, nor for any statements, views, or claims made in the content. All rights remain with the respective source.