What’s Happening?

Former Spire Motorsports Co-Owner T.J. Puchyr agrees to purchase the NASCAR Cup Series team currently known as Rick Ware Racing. Puchyr has lofty goals for his new team, but how will that affect the NASCAR Silly Season in 2026 and beyond?

Puchyr was one of two key figures in Spire Motorsports’ growth into a stable NASCAR Cup Series organization. While his co-founder, Jeff Dickerson, remains at Spire, Puchyr is now pursuing his venture at RWR.

Per a report from Jenna Fryer of AP Sports, things will remain mostly the same at RWR, with Cody Ware piloting the team’s No. 51 and staff mostly remaining the same. However, things have a chance to change big time in 2027.

The first major aspect is the return of their charter from RFK Racing after the 2026 season. They currently have one of their two charters leased to the team and have a contract to lease the one currently used by the No. 51 to RFK for 2026. Second, Puchyr has the goal of expanding to three cars after the 2026 season.

These goals seem easy, but as Puchyr will likely learn, there are several hurdles to overcome, ones that could reshape future NASCAR silly seasons.

Where Will RWR Get Its Third Charter?

Buying a third charter is easier said than done in the NASCAR Cup Series. At one time, charters sold for a few million dollars every few seasons, with the top crop of NASCAR Cup Series teams holding onto the most valuable.

However, in recent years, as teams have grown more competitive, with fewer and fewer backmarkers, fewer and fewer teams are putting their charters on the market. In fact, many fans viewed RWR and their two charters as the final branch of the backmarker-chartered teams.

Now that the team is expanding up to three, they are already 66% of the way there, but what remains to be seen is whether they could get a third charter by Puchyr’s 2027 goal.

Last year, aside from RWR’s lease to RFK, three charters changed hands, the most in some time; these were at below-recent-value prices, as Stewart-Haas Racing held a fire sale, getting rid of three charters. Though it is unlikely that this will happen again, there could be a window sometime soon for another sale, including two of the former SHR Charters.

On Jun. 5, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports would lose charter status once again, overturning a Dec. 18 preliminary injunction. If this stands, as it is undergoing a rehearing, and NASCAR wins its ongoing antitrust suit with these two teams, upwards of six charters could be on the open market.

How those charters would be processed if they joined the open market is yet to be seen. But RWR isn’t the only team seeking charters, as they are already familiar with another team with similar goals on a shorter timeline.

What About Their Lawsuit With LMC?

On Apr. 1, Legacy Motor Club, owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, filed a lawsuit against RWR, claiming the Ford team backed out of a record-breaking charter sale.

In that filing, LMC claimed they agreed to purchase a charter for the 2026 season from RWR for what was later revealed to be $45 million. That filing also stated, “Strapped for cash, and unable to compete at a Cup Series level by its admission, RWR needed to sell one of its two Charters.”

When the two teams met in court on Apr. 30, things were fleshed out a little more.

LMC claimed that the agreement was for Charter 27, currently leased to RFK. This is the charter RWR planned to use in 2026. Instead, RWR claims that from the start, the deal was for Charter 36 and for the 2027 season, as that is the charter they will lease to RFK in 2026.

According to Fryer’s report, “Puchyr and Ware are confident the second charter currently leased to RFK will be returned to their team in 2027, allowing Puchyr to expand the organization.” Puchyr believes that the contract cannot and will not go forward. Furthermore, RWR has filed a countersuit against LMC.

If RWR wins, they will have competition for any charters that hit the market in the future, something that LMC is willing to pay anything for; if they lose in court, they will have to broaden their search to two charters.

What Will Happen to RFK and Where Will They Get a Charter?

The final question is, what will RFK Racing do?

If all goes according to plan, they will not have a charter for 2027, and if LMC somehow wins in court, they could be out for 2026. For now, Puchyr seems confident that they will win against LMC, meaning RFK is likely safe for 2026, but what about the future?

RFK expanded to three cars this offseason, bringing their part-time No. 60 to full-time status with former SHR driver Ryan Preece behind the wheel and new backing from Kroger. While they do not have to race three cars in 2027, RFK will already have the sponsorship, equipment, and tools to do so.

While they could be involved in a potential bidding war should the 23XI and FRM’s charters hit the market, there is a scenario in which RFK is on the outside looking in 2027.

This proverbial worst-case scenario for RFK is if 23XI Racing and FRM do not lose their charters, RWR retains their charters, and LMC returns to shopping the open market. This would be a nightmare scenario for the team, which just recently got its third team off the ground.

But, the team is seemingly locked in for next year, and nothing in NASCAR is set in stone, so there are many ways RFK could slip by when the time comes.

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