CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — 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 head 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.

What about Ware’s second charter?

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 the 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.

Can Puchyr build a winning team?

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. A Ware-owned team 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 them 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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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a dozen NASCAR teams to provide 11 years of financial data to the stock car series as part of an ongoing legal fight but sharply limited what they need to share.

A day after hearing arguments from both sides, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina said the information will “allow NASCAR to have much of the arguably relevant substance of the requested information, while protecting the legitimate interests” of the 12 teams. They had raised concerns that the private financial details could end up being made public and would hurt competitive balance.

Under the decision, the teams must provide top-line data — total revenue, total costs, and net profits and losses — dating to 2014. The teams and NASCAR were ordered to settle on an independent accounting firm to handle the details by Friday, with that work paid for by NASCAR.

Earlier this week, attorneys for 12 of the 15 overall race teams argued against disclosing their financial records to become part of NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit. They are not parties in the ongoing suit filed by 23XI Racing, which is owned by the NBA Hall Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins.

23XI and Front Row are the only two organizations of the 15 that refused last September to sign take-it-or-leave offers on a new charter agreement. Charters are NASCAR’s version of a franchise model, with each charter guaranteeing entry to the lucrative Cup Series races and a stable revenue stream. Of the 13 teams that signed, only Kaulig Racing has submitted the financial documents NASCAR subpoenaed as part of discovery.

Teams have long argued that NASCAR is not financially viable and they need a greater revenue stream and a more permanent length on the charter agreements, which presently have expiration dates and can be revoked by NASCAR. Two years of negotiations ended last fall with 13 teams signing on and 23IX and FRM instead heading to court.

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

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Skip Barber Racing School returns to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this weekend at Lime Rock Park, with Will Lambros set to drive the No. 02 Ford Performance F-150. A longtime member of the Skip Barber Racing School Driver Development Program, Lambros is a standout alumnus of its renowned training system.

Lambros began his journey with Skip Barber at just 14 years old. Since then, he has competed in the Skip Barber Race Series, TC America powered by Skip Barber, and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Outside of his Skip Barber commitments, he’s also gained valuable experience racing in various Tour Modified series across the Northeast.

With the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series making its debut at Lime Rock Park – the original home of the Skip Barber Racing School – it was a natural fit to showcase the iconic Skip Barber colors once again. For this weekend’s race, Skip Barber has renewed its partnership with Reaume Brothers Racing to field the No. 02 Ford Performance F-150.

Lambros made his IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut in 2024.

“Skip Barber has been huge for my career,” Lambros said. “I’ve been working and coaching with them since high school, traveling the country. It’s like a second family – they’re my racing family. I’m excited to partner with Skip Barber and Reaume Brothers for my debut.”

Last year, Skip Barber supported the No. 22 Ford Performance F-150 with Director of Instructors Carter Fartuch behind the wheel. Fartuch made an impressive run, gaining nine positions during the race at Circuit of the Americas.

“We couldn’t be more excited to return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series,” said Skip Barber Racing team manager Joe Monitto. “We’ve watched Will grow up from a teenager into a talented racer, competing in everything from formula cars to GT4. To see him now in the No. 02 Skip Barber Ford Performance F-150 at his home track is an incredible opportunity. I have no doubt he’ll deliver a stellar performance.”

The LiUNA! 150 from Lime Rock Park will air on FOX at 1pm on Saturday, June 28.

(Ben Earp/Ben Earp Photography via AP)
An MLB Speedway Classic Open House Event marked the construction of a baseball field at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., on Tuesday.

NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advises the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves to watch a couple of night races at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Speedway Classic. Once at the racetrack, he recommends a walk up the banked walls to truly appreciate the half-mile bullring.

MLB’s Speedway Classic on Aug. 2 means either the Reds or Braves will win at Bristol before Stenhouse reaches victory lane at his favorite track. He still plans to watch as they play an MLB game on a ballpark built inside the Bristol infield.

“Hopefully, if they get one over the wall, kind of see where that ball ends up landing,” Stenhouse said of the track where going over the wall usually means injuries and ambulances. “But, yeah, just a really cool venue and something that I’ll be looking forward to watching.”

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, now a Fox racing analyst, said search his 1990 crash where his car disintegrated after hitting a wall to learn how challenging Bristol can be.

He joined Stenhouse, former Braves centerfielder Andruw Jones, 2009 World Series champ Nick Swisher and three-time All-Star Reds first baseman and now MLB Network analyst Sean Casey in promoting the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee.

Waltrip said the banking of the track has to be seen to be believed and is a big part of its intensity.

“The banking is straight up,” Waltrip said. “You can barely climb up it, and it’s condensed down to a half-mile track. So you’re just constantly in the corners and speeds upwards of 150 miles an hour. It’s just crazy how precise and how technical you have to be to be successful there.”

Trying to hit a baseball might be a bit easier than stepping into a racecar at Bristol. At those speeds, Stenhouse said he forgot to breathe for 10 laps his first time there.

Bristol still has tickets available for an event that will feature a pregame concert with Tim McGraw and Pitbull. A fan zone outside the track will feature more music, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages and team mascots.

“It’s going to be one of those special nights that goes down in history,” said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. “People are going to want to be there and want to be a part of it or tune in on Fox and take in this event.”

Casey played in a March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum that drew 115,300 for the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game. Casey said this crossover gives baseball fans a reason to check out Bristol and NASCAR fans the chance to see something different.

Players like Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will get an experience to remember.

“These guys that are going to be able to have that memory of playing at Bristol, it’s going to be a one of a kind thing,” Casey said.

Stenhouse said he played some wiffle ball during the last stop in Bristol. NASCAR will be in Iowa with a Cup race Aug. 3, but he hopes to sneak over from his North Carolina home for a chance to hit some hard balls over the fence at Bristol — or pitch off the mound.

“I hit a wiffle ball over the fence,” Stenhouse said. “Yeah, it would be cool to get there and take the field in all at the same time.”

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AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum contributed to this report from New York.

Carson Hocevar made the fourth of his four planned starts in the NASCAR Truck Series this past Friday at Pocono Raceway, and the Kansas Speedway winner from last month placed 13th just two weeks after finishing in 11th at Michigan International Speedway.

Hocevar, who also competed in the Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway last month, has driven the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, the team for which he competes full-time in the Cup Series, in all four of his starts this year.

This weekend, the Truck Series is set to head to Lime Rock Park for its first ever race at the seven-turn, 1.53 miles (2.462-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Lakeville, Connecticut.

The LiUNA! 150 is the first of three road course races on the 25-race 2025 schedule, and Hocevar will not be driving the No. 7 Chevrolet in it.

Carson Hocevar confirmed at Lime Rock Park

Instead, Spire Motorsports have turned to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver Jordan Taylor to drive the No. 7 truck this Saturday afternoon.

Taylor, a three-time IMSA champion, has made three NASCAR national series starts, all in 2023, but he has never before competed in the Truck Series.

Two years ago, he ran the Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas and the Xfinity Series races at Portland International Raceway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, recording finishes of 24th, 27th, and 16th place, respectively.

Though Hocevar does not currently have any Truck Series starts lined up for the remainder of the year, the No. 7 truck is still without a confirmed driver for eight of the 10 remaining races on the schedule after this weekend. Additionally, Hocevar is not restricted to five Truck Series races per year, given the fact that he does not yet have three years of full-time Cup Series experience.

Hocevar is set to be at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday night for the Cup Series race, the Quaker State 400. He finished in a career-high second place at the track in February.