Legacy Motor Club sues broker for alleged interference in charter deal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Legacy Motor Club on Wednesday sued the broker who helped negotiate its purchase of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, accusing him of tortious interference for now trying to buy Ware's NASCAR team.

Legacy alleged in its filing in North Carolina Superior Court that T.J. Puchyr, acting as a consultant for the Cup Series team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, violated the state Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act by using “insider knowledge and position of trust to interfere with Legacy’s Agreement with RWR.”

Legacy also accused Puchyr of making public personal attacks against Johnson when he announced last month his plans to purchase Ware's tiny race team.

The dispute began not long after Legacy entered into an agreement for Johnson and his partners at Knighthead Capital Management to purchase one of Ware's two charters. Legacy says the deal is for next season, when it plans to expand to three full-time Cup cars.

RWR maintains the deal was for 2027 because it already is under contract with RFK Racing to lease that organization a charter next season. Ware says he didn't read the contract closely when he signed it to note that it read 2026, and that honoring the RFK contract and selling a second charter to Legacy next year would put the NASCAR team out of business.

Legacy in April sued Ware, but as that fight is playing out, it claims Puchyr struck a deal to buy RWR. Puchyr is a co-founder of Spire Motorsports and now acts as a motorsports consultant.

“Mr. Puchyr was well aware of the parties’ dispute. He knew of the charter purchase agreement between Legacy and RWR that he helped broker,” the suit contends. “Despite Mr. Puchyr’s insider knowledge of the contract, his obligations under his consulting agreement with Legacy, Legacy’s contractual right to a charter ... Mr. Puchyr recently announced that he intends to purchase both of RWR’s charters for himself.”

The latest filing is part of two active lawsuits surrounding charters, which are at the heart of NASCAR’s business model. Having one is vital to a team’s survival.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a prolonged suit with NASCAR over antitrust allegations against the most popular motorsports series in the United States. 23XI, co-owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September refused to sign the charter agreements offered by NASCAR after more than two years of contentious negotiations on extensions.

The two were the only holdouts out of 15 organizations to refuse the extensions. They instead sued and are awaiting a federal judge's decision on whether they will be stripped of their six combined charters as the case heads toward a Dec. 1 trial date.

NASCAR has said it has asked multiple times for settlement proposals but heard nothing. NASCAR also has no intention of renegotiating the charter agreements held by 30 other teams.

Johnson, despite his own legal fight, said last weekend that he supported a settlement in the antitrust case.

“I would love to see a settlement of some kind," Johnson said. "I really don’t think that getting into a knock-down, drag-out lawsuit is good for anybody.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing