Legacy Motor Club filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Rick Ware Racing, alleging that RWR is backing out of an agreement to sell one of its charters to the team.
The lawsuit was filed in North Carolina Superior Court in Mecklenburg County.
Legacy Motor Club seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunctive relief.
In court documents, Legacy Motor Club states that in October 2024 it began to look for a third charter to expand its operation for the 2026 season. Legacy Motor Club owns two charters, which are used by the No. 42 team of John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 43 team of Erik Jones.
Rick Ware Racing has two charters. It leased one charter to RFK Racing for this season. That charter is aligned with RFK’s No. 60 team of Ryan Preece. Rick Ware Racing uses its other charter for the No. 51 team of Cody Ware.
In court documents, Legacy Motor Club states that it learned that a charter owned by Rick Ware Racing “was on the market for purchase.”
The complaint states that “strapped for cash, and unable to compete at a Cup Series level by its own admission, RWR needed to sell one of its two Charters. So, on the morning of January 6, 2025, Legacy’s CEO Calvin “Cal” Wells III met with RWR’s representative — Rick Ware, and his broker T.J. Puchyr — to strike a deal. They did. On March 3, 2025, Legacy and RWR executed a Charter Purchase Agreement.
“Despite having a binding deal in place, RWR wants to back out. It has told Legacy that it will not, under any circumstances, close the parties’ transaction. Legacy has tried to talk sense into RWR, to no avail. Legacy’s patience has run out. It now brings this suit to enforce its rights and hold RWR to its deal.”
The Athletic, citing unnamed sources, stated Rick Ware Racing believed the agreement would be done for the 2027 season and that Legacy changed the year to 2026 without alerting RWR officials.
A spokesperson for Legacy Motor Club told NBC Sports that the team had no comment.
