Ex-Spire Owner Pulled Into Lawsuit Battle as Jimmie Johnson- RWR Charter Spat Turns Ugly

Jimmie Johnson’s and Legacy Motor Club’s expansion project dealt a huge blow after a deal with Rick Ware Racing went sour. LMC took RWR to court, and since then, there have been more twists in this saga than the NASCAR road course race. Rick Ware Racing, a smaller outfit with two charters, one leased to RFK Racing, has been a scrappy player in NASCAR’s Cup Series. And this made the situation rather tricky with three parties involved, and then came the curveball. Enter T.J. Puchyr, the former co-founder of Spire Motorsports, who brokered the deal but now plans to buy out RWR charters.

Today, with charters worth up to $45 million, this legal battle could reshape how teams secure their future. And LMC is doing everything that it can to get hold of the charter that Rick Ware initially promised them.

Jimmie Johnson’s LMC sues over RWR charter Deal gone wrong

Bob Pockrass’s X post gave the latest twist on the ongoing lawsuit in NASCAR. The core of this legal clash is a deal signed on March 3, 2025, between LMC and RWR. LMC claims the deal was for a $45 million charter to be used in 2026. It enabled them to expand to a three-car team with drivers like John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones. “Despite having a binding deal in place, RWR wants to back out,” LMC stated in their April 1, 2025, lawsuit filed in Mecklenburg County. They allege RWR is refusing to honor the contract, which was initialed on every page, threatening LMC’s expansion plans.

Legacy, who is suing Rick Ware Racing over deal to purchase RWR charter (which charter & if sale for 2026 or 2027 disputed), has sued TJ Puchyr, who now plans to buy both RWR charters, for tortious interference of contract. Puchyr, former Spire co-owner, brokered Legacy-RWR deal.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 16, 2025

RWR, however, insists the agreement was for 2027, not 2026, as they’ve leased one charter to RFK Racing for 2026. Their countersuit, filed on June 4, 2025, argues that selling the charter in 2026 would leave them without a racing charter, effectively ending their operation. “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,” RWR stated. They also claim Rick Ware signed the deal under the impression it was for 2027, accusing LMC of misrepresentation.

T.J. Puchyr’s role has turned this dispute into a three-way battle. LMC alleges Puchyr, who brokered the deal, used his insider knowledge to interfere by planning to buy RWR and potentially redirect the charter. Jimmie Johnson expressed the stakes, saying, “I’m not sure there is a plan B,” highlighting LMC’s reliance on the charter. Judge Daniel A. Kuehnert warned RWR that there would be “really serious ramifications” if they sold off the two charters after telling the court that they had no intention to do so.

As it turns out, Puchyr brokered the deal between Legacy and RWR for the transfer of the charter. And now, all of a sudden, he is leading a group that is likely to take over both the charters from Rick Ware. This is going to be a long tussle given how complicated the whole situation has become. Meanwhile, on the other side, 23XI and FRM are racing against time to save their chartered team status.

NASCAR might put out 23XI Racing and FRM charters on sale

After being unable to reverse the decision of the three-judge panel to reinstate the injunction, Michael Jordan and C0. are now relying on a last-ditch effort. The two teams took to court earlier this week for a restraining order on NASCAR to take away their charters and have also filed for a new injunction. They produced documents that mentioned that losing the charter status would cause them irreparable harm, and NASCAR is expected to reply by Wednesday.

“We believe the status quo of us having our charters should not be disturbed until this is resolved on Dec. 1 in the courtroom. The reason being… we’re seeking for them to not be able to take and then sell our charters because if we prevail in December, how do you get that back? You can’t,” Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

However, the veteran driver stayed firm on his previous stand that, regardless of the court’s decision, chartered or not, 23XI Racing is going to continue to race for the rest of the season.