Rick Ware Racing Countersuing LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Over Charter Sale

Rick Ware Racing has issued a countersuit to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in the ongoing legal battle between the two race teams regarding a Charter Sale Contract that was agreed upon and signed by both parties earlier this year.

In April, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB filed an initial complaint against Rick Ware Racing, a complaint that alleged Rick Ware Racing had pulled out of a signed agreement to sell one of its NASCAR Cup Series team Charters.

However, in Rick Ware Racing's latest filing, the team claims that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is requesting the incorrect Charter, and is claiming the sale was for the 2026 season, when the contract between the two organizations allegedly states that the sale was to be for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Currently, Rick Ware Racing is leasing its No. 27 team Charter to RFK Racing for the 2025 season, which RFK Racing is utilizing to field its No. 60 Ford for driver Ryan Preece. RFK Racing has a two-year lease agreement with Rick Ware Racing, but due to the NASCAR Charter Agreement, Charters can only be leased for one season within the seven-year Charter Agreement period.

What this means is in order to uphold its two-year lease agreement with RFK Racing, RFK Racing would have to lease the No. 36 Charter from Rick Ware Racing, which is currently being used by Rick Ware Racing's No. 51 team in 2025, next season. Therein lies the snag within the argument between Rick Ware Racing and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.

Rick Ware Racing intends to operate the No. 51 entry again in 2026, and in order to do so, would not be able to sell one of its two Charters until the 2027 season, as the No. 36 Charter is already spoken for by RFK Racing for 2026. In the new court filing, Rick Ware Racing claims that it never agreed to sell a Charter for the 2026 season, and if it is forced to sell Charter No. 27 ahead of the 2026 season, the Rick Ware Racing team would go out of business.

“Should RWR be forced to sell Charter No. 27 for 2026, it would have no charter under which to race and would go out of business. For this reason, RWR would never have agreed (and unequivocally did not agree) to sell Charter No. 27 in advance of the 2026 season,”

Rick Ware Racing claims after both parties signed the sales contract, which was for a pricetag of $45 million, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB issued a $750,000 non-refundable deposit payment to Rick Ware Racing. RWR claims the agreement was to sell Charter No. 36 for the 2027 season, but that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has insisted that the agreement was for Charter No. 27 in 2026.

Amid the contract dispute, Rick Ware Racing claims that it has attempted several times to refund the $750,000 payment to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, but LMC has not accepted the return.

Rick Ware Racing is seeking the court to declare the Charter sale agreement invalid and issue an order declaring that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB does not have a claim to Charter No. 36, and RWR is asking the court to dismiss LEGACY MOTOR CLUB's initial complaint.

Following LEGACY MOTOR CLUB's initial complaint, the team was awarded a temporary restraining order against Rick Ware Racing, which kept RWR from attempting to sell the Charter in question while LMC sought a preliminary injunction.

However, at the end of April, that bid to earn a Preliminary Injunction was denied. It was a moment that Rick Ware, team owner of Rick Ware Racing, called gratifying.

"RWR is gratified by the Court's decision in this case. It's good to be vindicated," Ware said.

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