Motorsports
T.J. Puchyr agrees to buy Rick Ware Racing with plans to build a 3-car NASCAR team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the founders of Spire Motorsports has entered an agreement to purchase the NASCAR team owned by Rick Ware and is jumping back into the stock car series because he believes the current charters are grossly undervalued. T.J. Puchyr, who in 2018 alongside Jeff Dickerson launched the Spire team to take […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the founders of Spire Motorsports has entered an agreement to purchase the NASCAR team owned by Rick Ware and is jumping back into the stock car series because he believes the current charters are grossly undervalued.
T.J. Puchyr, who in 2018 alongside Jeff Dickerson launched the Spire team to take over the charter that Furniture Row Racing could not unload, told The Associated Press on Thursday he and Rick Ware Racing have a deal for him to take over Ware’s organization next season.
When Puchyr and Dickerson bought the Furniture Row charter, the market for NASCAR’s version of franchise models was essentially dead. Their agency had been hired by Furniture Row owner Barney Visser to sell the charter and when they couldn’t find a buyer, the two decided to purchase it themselves for $6 million and launch their own team.
That decision jump-started the charter market and the most recent charters sold — when Stewart-Haas Racing went out of business at the end of last season — went for approximately $30 million. Puchyr and Dickerson are largely credited with pumping life and value into an otherwise dormant charter system.
Puchyr last year sold his shares of Spire to Dan Towriss, the CEO of TWG Motorsports and header of the new Cadillac F1 team. Puchyr has spent 2025 consulting with various teams, including RWR and Legacy Motor Club. He’s watched the market closely and has attended several of the recent court hearings involving NASCAR against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, who have filed an antitrust lawsuit over the charter agreement those two teams refused to sign last September.
There are only 36 Cup Series charters, which guarantee a team entry into every NASCAR race and a steady revenue stream. Puchyr believes they are greatly undervalued and in one of his final deals with Spire, he helped acquire a charter from Live Fast Motorsports for $40 million.
“I am bullish on wanting to build a three-car team. I believe in the France family and the direction of the sport and I want the rest of the shareholders and industry to know that I believe the charters are worth $75 million or more,” he told AP.
In his deal with Ware, Puchyr will keep Ware on board as a partner, also keep Ware’s son, Cody, in the No. 51 Ford, and retain all of the current RWR employees. Ware’s current second charter is leased to RFK Racing, but Legacy Motor Club made a legal claim that it had entered an agreement to buy that charter next season.
A judge did not agree with Legacy, and said Ware has a lease deal with RFK for 2026 on a second charter. Puchyr believes none of the parties can perform to Legacy-RWR contract — which he said was written by Legacy — and there is no charter available from Ware for Legacy for either lease or purchase in 2026. Ware has filed a countersuit against Legacy.
Legacy, a two-car Cup team, is currently owned by seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. He has recently taken on partnership from private equity firm Knighthead Capital Management, which alongside Johnson is exploring expansion into several other motorsports series.
“If anybody deserves a pass it is Jimmie and if he wants to sit down and talk about it like men, I’d entertain the conversation,” said Puchyr, who was offended that Legacy sued Ware.
“I don’t think Jimmie has all the facts, doesn’t understand the deal we had, and they tried to humiliate Rick publicly. We don’t do business that way.”
Now, Puchyr and Ware are confident the second charter currently leased to RFK will be returned to their team in 2027, allowing Puchyr to expand the organization. He wants to buy a third charter that makes the organization a three-car Cup team by 2027.
Ware has done the second-most charter transactions in the industry only to Spire and at one point held four. Now he’s trying to rebuild his organization and win races with his son as the driver, something Puchyr wants to help him achieve.
“I’ve won at everything I’ve done at every level and I think we can compete with these guys,” Puchyr said. “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.
“And I believe we can get these charters valued at their true worth.”
Ware fields winning organizations in other motorsports series, including NHRA with Clay Millican, who won the 2024 American Flat Track championship, the 2022 FIM World Supercross Championship and the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series prototype title.
Puchyr did not reveal to the AP how much he’s paying for Ware’s organization, which technically only holds the charter for Cody Ware’s car this season and runs Corey Lajoie in a second “open” car in select races. Once it gets its leased charter back from RFK in 2027, the team will have at least two cars with the focus on purchasing a third.
Purchasing charters is not easy at this time as multiple teams have interest but lack the monetary funds to buy them at the ever-increasing rates. Among this is Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has not been able to get his hands on charters to take his Xfinity Series team to NASCAR’s top Cup Series level.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Motorsports
Connor Zilisch suffers broken collarbone in shocking fall while celebrating win
The 19-year-old won a wild NASCAR Xfinity race at Watkins Glen, but the celebrations did not last long as he fell from his car in Victory Lane. Zilisch appeared to slip on the window net, falling forward in a frightening moment. His foot got caught as he fell down onto the ground. While he was […]
The 19-year-old won a wild NASCAR Xfinity race at Watkins Glen, but the celebrations did not last long as he fell from his car in Victory Lane.
Zilisch appeared to slip on the window net, falling forward in a frightening moment. His foot got caught as he fell down onto the ground. While he was awake and alert, medical personnel took him from Victory Lane on a stretcher. He was transported by ambulance to the infield care center, and later a local hospital for further evaluation.
In a post at 9:19pm EST, Zilisch revealed that he suffered a broken collarbone in the fall, but thankfully, CT scans for his head were clear.
“Thank you everybody for reaching out today,” said Zilisch. “I’m out of the hospital and getting better already. Thankfully, CT scans for my head are clear, I just have a broken collarbone. Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn’t any worse.”
Connor Zilisch taken away via stretcher, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Trackhouse withdraws #87 from Cup race
Zilisch was supposed to be pulling triple duty this weekend, including the Cup race on Sunday. He qualified 25th for that race, driving the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet with sponsorship from Red Bull. Trackhouse has since withdrawn its fourth entry from Sunday’s Cup race.
The next Xfinity Series race is at Daytona International Speedway, but that is still two weeks away. Of note, Zilisch currently leads the standings, just seven points clear of his teammate, Justin Allgaier. Just three races remain in the regular season.
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Motorsports
Connor Zilisch suffers broken collarbone in victory lane fall; Trackhouse withdraws his Cup car
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Trackhouse Racing has withdrawn Connor Zilisch’s car from Sunday’s Cup race at Watkins Glen after the driver suffered a broken collarbone in a victory lane fall after his Xfinity Series win. Zilisch stated on social media that he suffered a broken collarbone. He also stated that CT scans of his head […]
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Trackhouse Racing has withdrawn Connor Zilisch’s car from Sunday’s Cup race at Watkins Glen after the driver suffered a broken collarbone in a victory lane fall after his Xfinity Series win.
Zilisch stated on social media that he suffered a broken collarbone. He also stated that CT scans of his head were clear.
“Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn’t any worse,” Zilisch wrote on social media.
Zilisch fell off his car in victory lane after winning his series-high sixth Xfinity race of the season. He was placed on a backboard and had a neck brace when he was loaded into an ambulance to go to the infield care center.
He later was transported to a local hospital. JR Motorsports stated at 9:16 p.m. ET Saturday that Zilisch had been released from the hospital.
The 19-year-old Zilisch was scheduled to have driven the No. 87 car for Trackhouse Racing in Sunday’s Cup race (coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on USA Network). It was to have been his fourth Cup start of the season. He qualified 25th.
Zilisch leads the Xfinity Series points with three races left in the regular season. He leads JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier by seven points. The series is off next weekend. The next Xfinity race will be Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway.
Motorsports
Slush Motorsport Festival Roars Into Nashville Speedway
photo from Slush Motorsports Buckle up, Nashville. The Slush Motorsports Festival is back at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, September 13th, and it’s bringing serious horsepower to the track! This high-octane celebration of motorsports and custom car culture is set to feature top-tier racing talent alongside one of the region’s most exciting car shows—presented by Elite […]
Buckle up, Nashville. The Slush Motorsports Festival is back at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, September 13th, and it’s bringing serious horsepower to the track! This high-octane celebration of motorsports and custom car culture is set to feature top-tier racing talent alongside one of the region’s most exciting car shows—presented by Elite Customs of Franklin, TN.
“Elite Customs is thrilled to be a proud sponsor of the annual Slush Motorsports event,” said Rich McClellan, owner of Elite Customs. “Attendees are going to love every aspect—from the incredible cars on display to the wheel-to-wheel racing. I’m especially looking forward to judging the car show and seeing the creativity and craftsmanship up close.”
The Slush Motorsports Car Show, powered by Elite Customs, will showcase vehicles across 35+ categories, including imports, domestics, exotics, classics, muscle cars, trucks, Jeeps, motorcycles, and more. All makes and models are welcome, and one standout will take home the coveted Best in Show award. Attendees can view hundreds of stunning custom builds and vote for their favorites.
Car show participants can also take their builds on track with a driver’s pass, allowing access to high-speed driving experiences. Spectators and drivers alike will enjoy a full day of action, including drag and roll racing, autocross, drifting, hot laps, and 2-step competitions.
“Elite Customs is all about quality, precision, and passion,” says Slush Motorsports CEO Philip Thomas. “That’s why they’re the perfect partner to present the car show. Their builds speak for themselves. They truly understand the dedication it takes to create a show-worthy car. Elite Customs shares our passion for the community, craftsmanship, and the culture of motorsports.”
The festival is a playground for car lovers and adrenaline junkies alike. Professional driver appearances include Formula Drift Drivers Connor O’Sully, Hooman Rahimi and Alex Lichliter, all hitting the track. Other attractions include “Big Kid Energy” drift carts, Podium1’s state-of-the-art SIM racing rigs, a car stereo competition and the Cookeville Hobbies RC drift course, where attendees can bring their own RC cars to join the fun.
For event details, schedules, tickets, and more, visit SlushMotorsports.com.
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Motorsports
Results, winner of Cup Series race at Watkins Glen
Daytona Motor Mouths: William Byron makes it to gas station in Iowa Ken and Chris review William Byron’s Iowa win and Bristol’s MLB Speedway Classic, present a Jeff Gordon show-and-tell and preview Watkins Glen. Shane van Gisbergen struck again. The NASCAR Cup Series’ road-course ace did Sunday, Aug. 10, what he’s done all season. He […]
Daytona Motor Mouths: William Byron makes it to gas station in Iowa
Ken and Chris review William Byron’s Iowa win and Bristol’s MLB Speedway Classic, present a Jeff Gordon show-and-tell and preview Watkins Glen.
Shane van Gisbergen struck again.
The NASCAR Cup Series’ road-course ace did Sunday, Aug. 10, what he’s done all season. He dominated a road race. Van Gisbergen won the Go Bowling at the Glen, giving him his fourth victory of the season. All four have come in the last two months.
SVG led 38 of the 90 laps. The margin between first and second place: 11 seconds.
His triumph also ensured NASCAR will not fill its 16 playoff spots with winners. At least one driver will make it on points.
Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher rounded out the top three at Watkins Glen. Here is the full lineup.
NASCAR standings: Results of Cup Series race at Watkins Glen
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- William Byron, No. 24
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Ryan Preece, No. 60
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Zane Smith, No. 38
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- Michael McDowell, No. 71
- Alex Bowman, No. 48
- Noah Gragson, No. 4
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
- Riley Herbst, No. 35
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Chase Elliott, No. 9
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34
- Cody Ware, No. 51
- Ty Dillon, No. 10
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- John Hunter Nemecheck, No. 42
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- Cole Custer, No. 41
- Josh Berry, No. 21
- Katherine Legge, No. 78
- Josh Bilicki, No. 66
- JJ Yeley, No. 44
- Kyle Larson, No. 5
(This story was updated to add more information.)
Motorsports
NASCAR playoff standings today: William Byron stretches points lead at Watkins Glen; Alex Bowman maintains bubble cushion
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y – By virtue of a solid, fourth-place run and nine stage points at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, William Byron extended his advantage atop the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points standings. Byron entered with an 18-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and kept his No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet clean all event […]
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y – By virtue of a solid, fourth-place run and nine stage points at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, William Byron extended his advantage atop the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points standings.
Byron entered with an 18-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and kept his No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet clean all event long in stretching that advantage to 42 markers. Just two races remain in the regular season with stops at Richmond Raceway and Daytona International Speedway left.
Elliott, who came home 26th on Sunday, still has time to cut into that lead. Kyle Larson continues to lead the way for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series playoff standings. His three wins have him in a tie for third with Christopher Bell.
RELATED: Hendrick Motorsports engine department nears another milestone
Finally, Alex Bowman continued to maintain a healthy margin to the playoff cutline now 60 points up in 15th place.
Here’s a look at the NASCAR playoff standings through 24 races in the 2025 season:
Motorsports
Watkins Glen Results: August 10, 2025 (NASCAR Cup Series)
NASCAR race results from Watkins Glen International NASCAR Cup Series drivers are on the grid in Watkins Glen, New York. The 2.45-mile road course of Watkins Glen International is set to host the Go Bowling at the Glen. View Watkins Glen results for the NASCAR Cup Series below. Watkins Glen MenuARCA: Prac/Qual | RaceTruck: Prac/Qual | RaceXfinity: Prac/Qual | RaceCup: Prac/Qual | Race TV Schedule for […]
NASCAR race results from Watkins Glen International
NASCAR Cup Series drivers are on the grid in Watkins Glen, New York. The 2.45-mile road course of Watkins Glen International is set to host the Go Bowling at the Glen.
View Watkins Glen results for the NASCAR Cup Series below.
Watkins Glen Menu
ARCA: Prac/Qual | Race
Truck: Prac/Qual | Race
Xfinity: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac/Qual | Race
TV Schedule for Watkins Glen
Ryan Blaney and Shane van Gisbergen set the front row. 90 laps of stock car racing are up next…
Watkins Glen
Stage 1 – Report
Laps: 20 (1-20 / 90)
Green flag, they side-by-side into turn one. Blaney outbrakes him but van Gisbergen crosses under him into turn two. Blaney holds him off as they roll up the hill.
Lap 6, Kyle Larson spins into turn one. “I have no brakes,” Larson says over the radio as he heads for the pit lane.
2 to go in stage one, Blaney and van Gisbergen pit in tandem. Blaney wins the race to the pit exit.
Chris Buescher stays out and he takes the stage one win!
Watkins Glen Results (Stage 1) : 1. Chris Buescher; 2. Alex Bowman; 3. Ryan Preece; 4. Chase Elliott; 5. John Hunter Nemechek; 6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr; 7. Ryan Blaney; 8. Shane van Gisbergen; 9. Chase Briscoe; 10. Cody Ware
Watkins Glen
Stage 2 – Report
Laps: 20 (21-40 / 90)
Alex Bowman pits from 2nd as Chris Buescher stays out.
Green flag on stage two, Preece clears Buescher before turn one. Shane van Gisbergen makes it three wide for 3rd, he’s coming to the front on fresh tires.
Shane van Gisbergen run three wide for 2nd into the bustop! He takes 2nd away but he’s not done. He dives inside of Preece into turn six. Shane van Gisbergen takes the lead away in just one lap.
Lap 28, Ty Gibbs tags the bumper of Josh Berry exiting turn five. Berry tags the wall, no caution.
Chase Elliott heads for the pit lane. Moments later, the caution is out from debris.
Green, van Gisbergen clears Blaney in turn one to hold the race lead.
3 to go in stage two, van Gisbergen pits from the lead.
1 to go in stage two, Ty Gibbs shoves John Hunter Nemechek into the carousel wall! He keeps it rolling, no caution.
Ryan Blaney stays out and he wins stage two at WGI!
Watkins Glen Results (Stage 2) : 1. Ryan Blaney; 2. William Byron; 3. Christopher Bell; 4. AJ Allmendinger; 5. Brad Keselowski; 6. Riley Herbst; 7. Alex Bowman; 8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr; 9. Ty Gibbs; 10. Ryan Preece
Watkins Glen
Stage 3 – Report
Laps: 50 (41-90 / 90)
Green flag on stage three, Blaney gets the jump and he clears Byron before the flagstand.
Lap 45, Kyle Busch is turned around in turn 7 as Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain were three wide, no caution.
Lap 54, Shane van Gisbergen has a run on Blaney out of the carousel. He dives inside into turn six and with fresher tires, he drives right by. Shane van Gisbergen returns to the lead.
29 to go
29 to go, Shane van Gisbergen leads Ross Chastain by 19 seconds. The green flag pit cycle is underway.
27 to go, race leader van Gisbergen and Chastain head for the pit lane.
25 to go, Daniel Suarez shoves Kyle Busch off track as they run side-by-side in the bus stop. No caution as Busch keeps it rolling.
16 to go, Brad Keselowski is the last car to pit. Shane van Gisbergen cycles back to the race lead. Chris Buescher and William Byron trail by 2 seconds.
10 to go, van Gisbergen leads Buescher by 4 seconds. He’s driving away.
6 to go, Brad Keselowski picks up a flat tire, no caution.
1 to go, Bell has a run on Buescher into the bus stop. Bell clears him and takes 2nd away.
Shane van Gisbergen wins at Watkins Glen International!
Watkins Glen International
Race Results
August 10, 2025
NASCAR Cup Series
Pos | Driver
1. Shane van Gisbergen
2. Christopher Bell
3. Chris Buescher
4. William Byron
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Chase Briscoe
7. Daniel Suarez
8. Bubba Wallace
9. Tyler Reddick
10. Ross Chastain
11. AJ Allmendinger
12. Erik Jones
13. Ryan Preece
14. Joey Logano
15. Austin Dillon
16. Austin Cindric
17. Zane Smith
18. Carson Hocevar
19. Michael McDowell
20. Alex Bowman
21. Noah Gragson
22. Kyle Busch
23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
24. Riley Herbst
25. Denny Hamlin
26. Chase Elliott
27. Justin Haley
28. Todd Gilliland
29. Cody Ware
30. Ty Dillon
31. Brad Keselowski
32. John Hunter Nemechek
33. Ty Gibbs
34. Cole Custer
35. Josh Berry
36. Katherine Legge
37. Josh Bilicki
38. JJ Yeley
39. Kyle Larson
NASCAR Cup Series
Playoff Standings
Pos | Driver | Wins | Points
1. Denny Hamlin
4 Wins
2. Shane van Gisbergen
4 Wins
3. Christopher Bell
3 Wins
4. Kyle Larson
3 Wins
5. William Byron
2 Wins
6. Chase Elliott
1 Win
7. Ryan Blaney
1 Win
8. Chase Briscoe
1 Win
9. Bubba Wallace
1 Win
10. Joey Logano
1 Win
11. Ross Chastain
1 Win
12. Austin Cindric
1 Win
13. Josh Berry
1 Win
14. Tyler Reddick
+117
15. Alex Bowman
+60
16. Chris Buescher
+34
— Playoff Cutline —
17. Ryan Preece
-34
18. Kyle Busch
-102
19. Ty Gibbs
-125
20. AJ Allmendinger
-129
Watkins Glen International
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