Rick Ware Racing agrees to sell to T.J. Puchyr, who wants to expand team

According to a report from the Associated Press, T.J. Puchyr has entered into an agreement to purchase Rick Ware Racing and expand it into a three-car team by 2027.

Now, many fans are likely wondering who Puchyr is, but it is a name familiar to those in the NASCAR garage. He is a former owner at Spire Motorsports alongside Jeff Dickerson, helping to build it into the strong organization it now is. They purchased Furniture Row Racing’s charter following the 2018 season and formed Spire together, which now runs three full-time entries and has contended for multiple race wins this year. Puchyr has since sold his stake in Spire and is no longer connected to the team.

Per the AP, the deal would keep Rick Ware’s son Cody as one of the drivers. RWR currently runs one full-time, charted car, but they are also leasing another charter to RFK Racing for the No. 60 Ford in a two-year agreement. RWR is also in the middle of a lawsuit with Legacy Motor Club, who claims RWR backed out of a signed deal and that they owe them a charter for the 2026 season. 

Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang is currently last in the championships standings among the 36 chartered teams, placing no higher than 24th in any race this year.

“I’ve won at everything I’ve done at every level, and I think we can compete with these guys,” said Puchyr in an interview with the Associated Press. “I think we can build it brick-by-brick and it’s going to take people, money and time. It’s not lost on me that [RWR] is the 36th-place car in the garage, we all see it. But I believe we can make this a competitive organization, even a winner.”

There are a lot of moving parts with this deal, and it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds in the months to follow.