On Thursday, NASCAR announced that regardless of where Rick Ware Racing finishes in the Owner’s Standings, they will not repossess the charter of the 51 car for 2024. Bob Pockrass explained the reasoning that NASCAR gave, but, did NASCAR make the right decision? Did Rick Ware Racing deserve to keep their second charter?
Before answering this question, it is important to note what NASCAR is trying to do with the threat to repossess a charter. Bob Pockrass noted that the rule was put in place to prevent the “Start and park”, which was a popular trend for smaller teams throughout the early 2010s. To help cut costs, teams would enter the race, run a few laps, and claim there was a mechanical failure that caused the car to be unable to finish the race.
As a result, teams could save money by not having to buy extra tires to finish the race, not hire a pit crew, or simply not risk their car crashing during the few laps it ran. NASCAR put this rule in place to make sure that every team with a charter was making an honest attempt to compete. NASCAR has never repossessed a charter before, but teams like StarCom have sold charters after finishing in the bottom three two years in a row.
Rick Ware Racing has quietly made some big moves in recent years to improve their performance as a race team. RWR was once the butt of every joke because of being a backmarker team with seemingly no chance of winning every single week. However, things are changing at the team even if they still sit towards the bottom of the owners’ standings.
They have downsized from three cars to two cars, and they have had a few interesting drivers drive their cars including Jenson Button, Ryan Newman, and Andy Lally. They have also signed Justin Haley long-term, who is an interesting prospect who nearly won the Chicago Street Race. There’s also the alliance with RFK Racing as well.
They have made honest efforts to improve their race team, and NASCAR saw fit that they deserved a second chance. However, will this second chance be worth it?
Regardless of all of the improvements RWR has made this year, they still sit 34th and 35th in owner’s points. How long of a leash is NASCAR realistically going to give them? Even though they have shown efforts to get better, there’s no guarantee they actually will be on track.
The issue may not be whether or not RWR deserved a second chance, because they’ve made honest efforts to improve. However, what if those efforts do not yield results on the race track? If RWR still struggles to get out of the bottom three, maybe NASCAR will make a decision.
Again, they have never revoked a charter before, so there is no precedent. However, if someone wants to join the sport via a charter, then is it worth it to keep a charter with a team that continues to sit in the bottom three of the owner’s points?
Then again, RWR deserves the chance to prove itself, and NASCAR is going to give it to them. They will be a team to watch in 2024, but, if they continue to flounder, who knows what could happen?
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
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On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
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Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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