“Not in position to run two full-time Cup cars”: Rick Ware reveals what he planned all along for RWR following lawsuit settlement against LMC

The legal drama between Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club has finally ended with the former agreeing to sell LMC a charter. The news was announced Friday night through a joint statement by the teams.

However, it seems that Rick Ware’s plans for his team all along weren’t any different. Competing in the NASCAR Cup Series as an open team isn’t considered financially feasible. Therefore, Ware knew he would eventually have to sell one of his team’s charters.

“My plan all along was to sell a charter; we’re not in position to run two full-time Cup cars,” Rick Ware said during an exclusive interview with The Athletic. “And our plans have been all along to run a charter race car in ’25, ’26, ’27 and beyond, and that’s still our plans.” “I believe we landed in a mutually beneficial place for both teams, and the result will be a clear path forward for us all,” he added, reflecting on his meeting with LMC officials. “I look forward to putting all of our focus on finishing the 2025 season strong.”

Unlike RWR, Legacy Motor Club, owned by seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, is looking to expand to three full-time cars for the 2026 season. The team currently fields the No. 42, driven by John Hunter Nemechek, and the No. 43, driven by Erik Jones.

But given that there are just a few weeks left till the ongoing season ends, Legacy Motor Club could lease its newly acquired charter to some other team in 2026 and get it back on a third car the following season.

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Jimmie Johnson shares his views on Rick Ware’s efforts to reach a settlement

Jimmie Johnson appreciated Rick Ware’s cooperation amid the legal dispute over the sale of a charter. Safe to say that Legacy Motor Club needed the settlement, as the team had been planning on expanding to a three-car team for quite some time now.

A spokesperson for Rick Ware Racing mentioned in a statement that the organization will have the No. 51 car (driven by Cody Ware) as its sole chartered entry.

“Reaching a positive outcome was important for everyone involved,” Johnson said shortly after the settlement was reached. “I truly respect the effort put forth by Robby Benton and Rick Ware to reach a settlement so we may all focus on our business operations and future goals. I’m glad this is behind us and we can all move forward in unison.”

The terms of the settlement have not been revealed yet. For now, all eyes are on New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will host this Sunday’s playoff race. The 301-lap event, named Mobil 1 301, will be televised live on the USA Network (2 pm ET) with exclusive radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee