The NASCAR Community Reacts to Legacy Motor Club’s Lawsuit

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 16: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #84 Carvana Toyota greets fans onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

What’s Happening?

This week, Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR Cup Series team, Legacy Motor Club, sued fellow team Rick Ware Racing, claiming the team “wants to back out” of an agreement to sell a Charter. Fans have had some time to digest this suit, and as usual, everyone has something to say.

No April Fools Day Joke

Of course, this news broke on April 1, which is April Fools Day, and was a very busy day for NASCAR news.

However, as reported by Jordan Bianchi of the Athletic, this lawsuit was no joke.

LMC claims that RWR is attempting to back out of the agreement; however, reports claim that RWR believed they were selling the charter for the 2027 season but backed out after the agreement included 2026.

Another Chapter of RWR’s Mediocre History

As far as Rick Ware Racing goes, fans have been outspoken about the team’s underperforming history in NASCAR. This did not change after LMC filed this lawsuit, as several quotes from the lawsuit are, let’s say, harsh.

While financial struggles have been the basis of fan theories about RWR’s on-track struggles, this lawsuit added to this with statements like one on page 2 that 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.”

In the comment section of Out of the Groove’s Eric Estepp’s video about the lawsuit, fans did not go easy on the team. Many cited their bad history, low potential future, and current last-place standing amongst Cup Series teams as a sign that selling this charter would be beneficial for NASCAR.

As user @JayStephens8 said:

Not only did fans agree that it would be a plus for RWR to sell off one of their two charters, but some users, like @Jdfuller82, believe that no one would care if that happened.

Legacy Motor Club: Not Making Any Friends

While some fans flamed RWR, LMC did not leave the marketplace of ideas without its fair share of criticism. The two-car Toyota team has had a difficult time establishing itself as a competitive team since rebranding in 2023 and switching to TGR in 2024.

Others found this attempted expansion to three cars by LMC laughable.

As @DennyDeliversYT said on YouTube, some fans view this as two teams bickering:

While LMC is by no means as bad as RWR, fans of the team and drivers that could end up racing for the team, like 23XI Racing prospect Corey Heim, believe that LMC needs to focus on being competitive with two cars before jumping to three cars.

The 2025 NASCAR Season

However, as YouTube user @calebc.7818 articulated, one of the most important takeaways from fans regarding this lawsuit is the sheer amount of drama happening both on and off track this season.

This lawsuit is the third significant one playing out in 2025. The others include the 2024 lawsuit between Hendrick Motorsports and Hooters, which ended last month, and the ongoing antitrust lawsuit between Front Row Motorsports/23XI Racing and NASCAR.

The LMC lawsuit also dropped minutes after NASCAR penalized multiple Xfinity Series drivers after a tumultuous afternoon at Martinsville. As time goes on, penalties like Chase Briscoe’s, Austin Cindric’s, and now Sammy Smith’s will stand out as some of the most defining moments of the 2025 season.

What do you think about this lawsuit? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us /on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 11: NASCAR Hall of Famer and JGR team owner, Joe Gibbs looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Joe Gibbs Racing Adds Spire Motorsports to Lawsuit, Motions for Gabehart to Cease Work

What’s Happening?

Joe Gibbs Racing has added to its lawsuit filed against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, filing to add Spire as a co-defendant, and to prevent Gabehart from continuing his work at Spire.

JGR initiated this lawsuit on February 19, alleging Gabehart, a long-time Crew Chief, most recently for Denny Hamlin, and the team’s now former Competition Director, “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”

That direct competitor, Spire Motorsports, which currently employs Gabehart as their Chief Motorsports Officer, is now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, via an amended complaint filed Tuesday.

Per the latest filing from JGR, which employed Gabehart as Competition Director last season, is asking the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction with seven key requests.

Key to these requests is that Gabehardt cease providing Spire with “services for Spire similar to those he provided to JGR” for 18 months following his February 9 formal termination from JGR.

JGR also requested that Spire stop accepting Gabehart’s work as per the noncompete obligation of his termination.

The filing also has several requests regarding the team information Gabehart allegedly retained from JGR.

These include Gabehart returning this information alongside the devices that store this information and “cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.”

From JGR’s filing:

c. Gabehart immediately cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets

d. Gabehart return any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets in his possession to JGR;

e. Gabehart transfer to the custody of JGR’s counsel any device used to store the Confidential Information and Trade Secrets and, through an agreed upon Court ordered process, allow the forensic preservation and review of these devices for identification of Confidential Information and Trade Secrets, the return of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to JGR, and the removal of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets from the devices;

f. Gabehart cease and desist from using or disclosing JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to third parties;

As of press time, Gabehart has commented on the lawsuit in a post to X on February 20, where he claimed a third-party investigator “examined my laptop, cell phone and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit.”

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

HAMPTON, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 20: Jesse Love, driver of the #2 Samsara Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 at Echo Park Speedway on February 20, 2026 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Rumor Mill: Are These the Top Candidates For Legacy Motor Club’s Expansion?

What’s Happening?

The NASCAR rumor mill is heating up as a new rumor suggests that a former series champion and an active NASCAR Cup Series driver could be in line to drive for Legacy Motor Club in 2027.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is well underway, while teams and drivers are still settling into their new lineups and seats, others are already prepping for next season.

Most expect the 2027 NASCAR Silly Season to be one of the wildest in years, with many major names on contract seasons, and top seats looking for new drivers.

One story that will likely carry through the 2026 season, and into the offseason, is Legacy Motor Club, which is expanding to three full-time cars in 2027 via the acquisition of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, which is currently leased to RFK Racing for their No. 60 entry.

While many storylines could stem from this transaction, one that is already playing out is LMC’s driver search, as the team looks to add a new face to their roster alongside drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones.

Though we are nearly a year away from what would be the first race for this third car, per recent rumors, a few names are already emerging as top candidates.

What’s the Rumor?

Monday afternoon, a post from a well-known NASCAR rumor account made the rounds on social media, naming two drivers as possible options for LMC.

In their post, the user claimed that 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst and Richard Childress Racing prospect Jesse Love were “early contenders” for the ride.

Of course, this is just a rumor, and even if they are possible candidates, things can change. However, both of these options come with their own storylines and questions.

What Do We Know?

The first thing that likely comes to mind when hearing this rumor is that both of these drivers would have to depart their current spots, something that most have suspected will happen by next season.

For Herbst, he is facing the impending promotion of top NASCAR prospect Corey Heim to full-time competition.

This year, Heim, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, is racing part-time with 23XI Racing, with almost every rumor and blurb suggesting next year will be his first full-time season in NASCAR’s highest level.

While 2026 Daytona 500 Champion Tyler Reddick is reportedly on a contract season, most see Herbst as the clear weak link at 23XI, though, in the somewhat unlikely event Reddick were to jump ship, there could be a world where a spot opens for Heim without affecting Herbst.

Regarding Love, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion is in his third full-time year with RCR in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and, for some time now, has been rumored to be looking for a promotion, beyond his part-time Cup Series schedule.

This is not the first time Love and LMC have been tied together in the rumor mill, as in June 2025, when LMC was in the midst of a lawsuit to get their third charter by this season (something that never came to be), a report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports suggested there could be interest in Love as that third driver at LMC.

As of right now, Love has yet to score a full-time Cup Series ride. But there is a chance a slot opens in-house as RCR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch is on a contract year, a situation that could leave Love with a difficult decision between staying in a familiar spot or returning ot the Toyota camp.

But the biggest decision could come down to RCR, which, in the event Busch excels this year, could face deciding between a NASCAR legend and keeping their best prospect in some time.

Nonetheless, all of this is hypothetical, as the gears are just now turning on what could be a NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season for the ages.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

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