NASCAR Teams Battling Each Other in Court After Failed Sale

What’s Happening?

Former NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team AM Racing is suing ARCA Menards Series team Sigma Performance Services.

AM claims that after a planned sale of its operations to SPS fell through, SPS has continued to use AM’s intellectual property and still retains several chassis from AM’s fleet, which AM wants returned.

AM Racing LLC has filed suit against Sigma Performance Services LLC, seeking the return of several unique car chassis and for Sigma to stop using AM Racing's intellectual property. #nascar #nccourts pic.twitter.com/m5KTffqB7O

— Sydney Haulenbeek (@SKHaulenbeek) June 25, 2026

These two teams were among the biggest stories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage this past offseason, with a potential merger between the two in the works late in January.

The merger, which would bring together SPS’s ARCA program and AM’s OAP Series program under the Team SPS Racing banner, was important for many reasons.

Not only did it provide SPS with a Chase-contending launch pad to step into NASCAR’s National Series (given AM’s first-ever playoff run with Harrison Burton last season), but it also set SPS up to be the flagship team for Ford in the OAP Series going forward.

In fact, during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Team President and Managing Partner of the then newly renamed Team SPS Racing, Wade Moore, touted that the team could even field NASCAR Cup Series talent on select weekends, giving Ford drivers a chance for more seat time throughout the season.

As the new year drew closer, the team failed to announce who would drive their Fords, all while another Ford team, Hettinger Racing, began building its program for the new year.

But, on January 30, mere days until the OAP Series season opener at Daytona, AM Racing announced that the deal had fallen through, posting to social media:

“In November of 2025, an acquisition of AM Racing was announced. While the transaction ultimately was not finalized, AM Racing will move forward independently and remain committed to competition in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The organization will build upon its existing foundation for the upcoming season, with driver and team announcements forthcoming.”

After this, SPS would not race in the NASCAR OAP Series, with AM continuing with its same name from past seasons and Nick Sanchez behind the wheel, before disappearing again after the OAP Series race at Martinsville.

Shortly after withdrawing from the next race at Rockingham Speedway, AM confirmed to the media that the team was shuttering its operation.

Since then, SPS Racing has continued to operate part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, fielding drivers Daniel Dye and Caden Kvapil in seven of the series’ nine races so far this season in both Fords and Chevrolets, but did not field an entry in this past weekend’s race at Berlin Raceway.

This is a developing story, and neither team has publicly commented on the matter.

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