Jimmie Johnson’s team SUES Rick Ware Racing
What’s Happening? Legacy Motor Club, owned by 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and first-ballot Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, has filed…
In what turned out to be a shocking April Fools Day in the NASCAR community, Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club filed a lawsuit against Rick Ware Racing. The filing claims that RWR “wants to back out” of selling a Charter to LMC. This aspect has been covered in depth. However, what are some other takeaways from this lawsuit that NASCAR fans should take note of?
What’s Happening? Legacy Motor Club, owned by 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and first-ballot Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, has filed…
Page 2 of this filing states, “In October 2024, Legacy—which already possesses two Charters—began working to identify a third Charter to purchase in order to expand its slate of cars and drivers for the upcoming 2026 season.”
While the time and place of this transaction typically would not be newsworthy, it is interesting that this work to “identify a third Charter to purchase” occurred around the same time that rumors were flying around that Rick Ware Racing would lease a Charter to RFK Racing. RFK announced its third car expansion on Nov. 19, utilizing the former No. 15 car’s Charter.
It is unclear exactly which Charter RWR was planning to sell Legacy; whether it could affect RFK in the long run is currently unknown. Most fans may have assumed that RFK would purchase a third Charter outright down the line. However, this Charter may not be from RWR, with whom RFK has a deep relationship.
What’s Happening? With its new Charter Agreement, NASCAR is introducing new rules about how many Charters a team can own. This…
This filing also clarifies why RWR is selling a Charter. Throughout its history, RWR has had one of the most difficult existences in NASCAR.
Despite:
RWR cannot seem to get a grip on NASCAR’s top level.
For years, fans have wondered where the funding is for Ware to run such a dismal operation for so many seasons. These struggles even continued this season when the team opted to bring on Ware’s son Cody tod drive on a full-time basis; Ware currently sits 37th in points, the worst full-time driver by 28 points. Ware is also tied with Jimmie Johnson in points, who has made one start this season.
So it should be no surprise that Page 2 also states, “Strapped for cash, and unable to compete at a Cup Series level by its admission, RWR needed to sell one of its two Charters.” Financial struggles for RWR were a proposed fan theory this past fall when they leased a Charter to RFK; now, this lawsuit seemingly confirms this theory.
What’s Happening? A major rumor that hit the NASCAR online community yesterday involved Rick Ware Racing potentially selling their team following…
For those keeping up with the lawsuit between plaintiffs 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR, there is a notable line in this lawsuit that may sound oh-so-familiar. The filing twice mentions the phrase Irreparable Harm in a heavily redacted portion of the text on page 33.
This phrase was often mentioned during the injunction portion of 23XI and FRM’s lawsuit. The teams, attempting to maintain Charter status for the duration of the lawsuit and acquire new charters from the shuttering Stewart-Haas Racing, needed to prove Irreparable Harm. This attempt had a sharp twist on Dec. 13, when the teams cited former President of SHR Joe Custer.
In a sworn affidavit, Custer detailed how NASCAR had “conveyed” to him that the teams would get their new charters. Custer then claimed, “Stewart-Haas Racing, LLC will suffer irreparable harm because Stewart-Haas Racing, LLC does not have the personnel or resources to operate pursuant to the Charters.”
What’s Happening? The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit will continue for some time. However, many developments will occur along…
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