From NASCAR.com: How the NASCAR Charter system works
From Autoweek: How NASCAR’s Ownership Charter System Works
Charters were formed in 2016 after an agreement between NASCAR and the Race Team Alliance.
2026 Charter Changes
- Trackhouse Racing’s #99 charter becomes the #88 Trackhouse Racing team.
- Trackhouse Racing’s #87 charter becomes the #97 Trackhouse Racing team.
- RFK’s #60 charter, that they were leasing from Rick Ware Racing, becomes Rick Ware Racing’s #51.
- Rick Ware Racing’s #51 charter becomes the charter for #60 RFK Racing.
2025 Charter Changes
- #4 Stewart-Haas Racing sold to #4 Front Row Motorsports
- #10 Stewart-Haas Racing sold to #35 23XI Racing
- #14 Stewart-Haas Racing sold to #88Trackhouse
- #41 Stewart-Haas Racing now the #41 Haas Factory Team
- #15 Rick Ware Racing leased to #60 RFK Racing
- #31 Kaulig Racing now #10 Kaulig Racing
2024 Charter Changes
- Spire Motorsports purchased #78-Live Fast Motorsports’ charter.
2023 Charter Changes
- Joe Gibbs Racing’s #18 charter moved to the #54 team.
- Rick Ware swapped charters between the #51 & #15 teams.
2022 Charter Changes
- #00-Starcom was sold to #45 23XI Racing
- #1-Ganassi was sold to #1-Trackhouse
- #7-Spire was moved to #77-Spire
- #42-Ganassi was sold to #99-Trackhouse
- #43-Petty moved to #43-Petty GMS
- #51-Ware was sold to #42-Petty GMS
- #52-Ware was moved to #51-Ware
- #53-Ware was sold be #7-Spire
- #77-Spire was sold to #16-Kaulig
- #99-Trackshouse (was being leased) was sold to #31-Kaulig.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1-Ganassi | #1-Ganassi | #1-Ganassi | #1-Ganassi | #1-Ganassi | #1-Ganassi | #1-Ganassi | S | #1-Trackhouse | #1-Trackhouse | #1-Trackhouse | #1-Trackhouse | #1-Trackhouse | ||||||||||
| #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | #2-Penske | |||||||||||
| #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | #3-Childress | |||||||||||
| #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | #4-Stewart-Haas | S | #4 Front Row | #4 Front Row | ||||||||||
| #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | R | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | ||||||||||
| #6-Roush | #6-Roush | L | #37-JTG | S | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | #12-Penske | |||||||||
| #7-Baldwin | #7-Baldwin | S | #95-Leavine | #95-Leavine | #95-Leavine | #95-Leavine | S, L | #77-Spire | S | #16-Kaulig | #16-Kaulig | #16-Kaulig | #16-Kaulig | #16-Kaulig | ||||||||
| #9-Petty | R | #44-Petty | L | #32-Go Fas | R | #43-Petty | P | #51-Rick Ware | #51-Rick Ware | #51-Rick Ware | S | #42-Petty GMS | #42-Petty GMS | #42-Legacy Motor Club | #42-Legacy Motor Club | #42-Legacy Motor Club | ||||||
| #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | #10-Stewart-Haas | S | #35-23XI | #35-23XI | ||||||||||
| #11-Gibbs | #11-Gibbs | #11-Gibbs | #11-Gibbs | #11-Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | #11- Gibbs | |||||||||||
| #13-Germain | #13-Germain | #13-Germain | #13-Germain | #13-Germain | #13-Germain | S | #23-23XI Racing | #23-23XI Racing | #23-23XI Racing | #23-23XI Racing | #23-23XI Racing | #23-23XI Racing | ||||||||||
| #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | #14-Stewart-Haas | S | #88-Trackhouse | R | #97 Trackhouse | |||||||||
| #15-Waltrip | sold | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Stewart-Haas | #41-Hass Factory Team | #41-Hass Factory Team | ||||||||||
| #16-Roush | #16-Roush | R | #6-Roush | #6-Roush | #6-Roush | #6-Roush | #6-Roush | #6-RFK | #6-RFK | #6-RFK | #6-RFK | #6-RFK | ||||||||||
| #17-Roush | #17-Roush | #17-Roush | #17-Roush | #17-Roush | #17-Roush | #17-Roush | #17-RFK | #17-RFK | #17-RFK | #17-RFK | #17-RFK | |||||||||||
| #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | #18-Gibbs | R | #54-Gibbs | #54-Gibbs | #54-Gibbs | #54-Gibbs | ||||||||||
| #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | #20-Gibbs | |||||||||||
| #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | #22-Penske | |||||||||||
| #23-BK Racing | #23-BK Racing | #23-BK Racing | #23-BK Racing | #38-Front Row | L | #53-Rick Ware | S | #53-Rick Ware | S | #7-Spire | #7-Spire | #7-Spire | #7-Spire | #7-Spire | ||||||||
| #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | #24-Hendrick | R | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | #9-Hendrick | ||||||||||
| #27-Childress | #27-Childress | #27-Childress | L | #00-StarCom | S | #00-StarCom | #00-StarCom | #00-StarCom | S | #45-23XI Racing | #45-23XI Racing | #45-23XI Racing | #45-23XI Racing | #45-23XI Racing | ||||||||
| #31-Childress | #31-Childress | #31-Childress | #31-Childress | R | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | #8-Childress | ||||||||||
| #32-Go Fas | #32-Go Fas | L | #21-Wood Brothers | P | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | #21-Wood Brothers | |||||||||
| #33-Circle Sport | P | #95-Leavine | P | #33-Circle Sport / TMG | P | #32-Go Fas | #32-Go Fas | #32-Go Fas | S | #78-Live Fast | #78-Live Fast | #78-Live Fast | S | #71-Spire | #71-Spire | #71-Spire | ||||||
| #35-Front Row | R | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | #34-Front Row | ||||||||||
| #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | L | #72-TriStar | S | #52-Rick Ware | #52-Rick Ware (#27) | #52-Rick Ware | #51-Rick Ware | R | #15-Rick Ware | #15-Rick Ware | L | #60-RFK | #51 Rick Ware | |||||||
| #42-Ganassi | #42-Ganassi | #42-Ganassi | #42-Ganassi | #42-Ganassi | #42-Ganassi | #42-Ganassi | S | #99-Trackhouse | #99-Trackhouse | #99-Trackhouse | #99-Trackhouse | R | #88 Trackhouse | |||||||||
| #43-Petty | #43-Petty | #43-Petty | L | #51-Rick Ware | #43-Petty | #43-Petty | #43-Petty | #43-Petty GMS | #43-Petty GMS | #43-Legacy Motor Club | #43-Legacy Motor Club | #43-Legacy Motor Club | ||||||||||
| #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | #47-JTG | |||||||||||
| #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | #5-Hendrick | |||||||||||
| #51-HScott | R | #15-HScott | S | #15-Premium | #15-Premium | #15-Premium | #15-Premium (RWR) | #15-Rick Ware | #15-Rick Ware | R | #51-Rick Ware | #51-Rick Ware | #51-Rick Ware | L | #60 RFK | |||||||
| #55-Waltrip | S | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | #19-Gibbs | ||||||||||
| #62-Premium | L | #46-HScott | S | #77-Furniture Row | S | #37-JTG | #37-JTG | #37-JTG | #7- Spire | #77-Spire | #77-Spire | #77-Spire | #77-Spire | #77-Spire | ||||||||
| #78-Furniture Row | #78-Furniture Row | #78-Furniture Row | #78-Furniture Row | S | #77-Spire | #77-Spire | L | #99-Trackhouse | S | #31-Kaulig | #31-Kaulig | #31-Kaulig | R | #10-Kaulig | #10-Kaulig | |||||||
| #83-BK Racing | #83-BK Racing | S, L | #72-TriStar | #38-Front Row | R | #36- Front Row | R | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | #38-Front Row | ||||||||
| #88-Hendrick | #88-Hendrick | #88-Hendrick | #88-Hendrick | #88-Hendrick | #88-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick | #48-Hendrick |
Charter Transaction information taken from the 2025 Antitrust lawsuit:
| Season | From | To | Transaction Type | Price of Charter Sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Michael Waltrip Racing | Stewart-Haas Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $1,250,000-$3,250,000 |
| 2016 | Michael Waltrip Racing | Joe Gibbs Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $1,250,000-$3,250,000 |
| 2016 | Premium Motorsports | HScott Motorsports | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2016 | Circle Sport Racing | Circle Sport - Leavine Family Racing | Other Transaction - Team Rebrand / Merger | |
| 2017 | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Leavine Family Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $3,500,000 |
| 2017 | HScott Motorsports | Premium Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $1,250,000 |
| 2017 | Premium Motorsports | Furniture Row Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | Not Specified |
| 2017 | BK Racing | Front Row Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $2,000,000 |
| 2017 | Richard Petty Motorsports | Go Fas Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2017 | Go Fas Racing | Wood Brothers Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2017 | Roush Fenway Racing | JTG Daugherty Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2017 | Front Row Motorsports | TriStar Motorsports | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2017 | Circle Sport | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Other Transaction - Team Rebrand / Merger | |
| 2017 | Furniture Row Racing | JTG Daugherty Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | Not Specified |
| 2017 | Roush Fenway Racing | Team Penske | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $3,500,000 |
| 2018 | Circle Sport [5] | Circle Sport – Go Fas Racing | Charter Sale - Partial Ownership | |
| 2018 | Go Fas Racing | Go Fas – Wood Brothers Racing | Charter Sale - Partial Ownership | |
| 2018 | Richard Childress Racing | StarCom Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | |
| 2018 | Front Row Motorsports | TriStar Motorsports | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2019 | BK Racing | Front Row Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $2,000,000 |
| 2019 | Furniture Row Racing | Spire Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $6,000,000 |
| 2019 | Front Row Motorsports | Rick Ware Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | |
| 2019 | Richard Childress Racing | StarCom Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $3,500,000 |
| 2019 | Richard Petty Motorsports | Rick Ware Racing – Petty Ware Racing | Charter Sale - Partial Ownership | |
| 2020 | Front Row Motorsports | Rick Ware Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2020 | Premium Motorsports | Rick Ware Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | Not Specified |
| 2021 | Germain Racing | 23XI Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $4,700,000 |
| 2021 | Leavine Family Racing | Spire Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | UNREADABLE_IN_IMAGE – check source PDF |
| 2021 | Front Row Motorsports | Rick Ware Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $7,000,000 |
| 2021 | JTG Daugherty Racing | Spire Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | Not Specified |
| 2021 | Circle Sport Racing [7] | Live Fast Motorsports | Charter Sale - Partial Ownership | |
| 2021 | Go Fas – Wood Brothers Racing | Wood Brothers Racing | Charter Sale - Partial Ownership | |
| 2021 | Spire Motorsports | Trackhouse Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2022 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Trackhouse Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership (two charters) | $6,000,000 / $6,000,000 |
| 2022 | StarCom Racing | 23XI Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $13,500,000 |
| 2022 | Rick Ware Racing | Spire Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $15,000,000 |
| 2022 | Spire Motorsports | Kaulig Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership (two charters) | $8,000,000 / $10,000,000 |
| 2022 | Richard Petty Motorsports | Petty GMS Motorsports | Other Transaction - Team Rebrand / Merger (two charters) | |
| 2022 | Roush Fenway Racing | RFK Racing | Other Transaction (two charters) - Team Rebrand | See Note [8] |
| 2023 | No transactions | No transactions | ||
| 2024 | Live Fast Motorsports | Spire Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $40,000,000 |
| 2024 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Front Row Motorsports | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $29,500,000 |
| 2024 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 23XI Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $28,000,000 |
| 2024 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Trackhouse Racing | Charter Sale - Full Ownership | $26,500,000 |
| 2025 | Rick Ware Racing | RFK Racing | Other Transaction - Charter Lease | |
| 2025 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Haas Factory Team | Other Transaction - Team Rebrand | See Note [9] |
| 2025 | JTG Daugherty Racing | Hyak Motorsports | Other Transaction - Team Rebrand | See Note [10] |
Notes and Sources (Extracted Text)
[1] Charter transactions are organized based on the NASCAR season in which they take effect. The NASCAR season typically runs from February through November. As a result, transactions with an effective date between November and February are assumed to take effect in the NASCAR season beginning February. Mid-season transactions are categorized based on the best available public information. See NASCAR, “2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule,” available at https://www.nascar.com/nascar-cup-series/2025/schedule/, accessed on July 3, 2025.
[2] Price information is limited to full ownership charter sales and is subject to data availability.
[3] Leavine Family Racing and Circle Sport Racing entered into a joint partnership for the 2016 season. See NASCAR, “Leavine Family Racing, Circle Sport merge for full slate,” January 21, 2016, available at https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2016/01/21/leavine-family-racing-circle-sport-merge-for-full-slate/; Long, Dustin, “‘Snowball effect’ led Bob Leavine to sell Cup team,” NBC Sports, August 4, 2020, available at https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/snowball-effect-led-bob-levine-to-sell-nascar-cup-team.
[4] The Motorsports Group, which did not have a charter, merged with Circle Sport before the 2017 season. See Weaver, Matt, “Circle Sport And The Motorsports Group merge ahead of 2017 NASCAR Cup season,” Autoweek, January 9, 2017, available at https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a18324141/circle-sport-and-motorsports-group-merge-ahead-2017-nascar-cup-season/.
[5] Circle Sport split from The Motorsports Group after the 2017 season. See McFadin, Daniel, “Circle Sport parts ways with The Motorsports Group,” NBC Sports, December 12, 2017, available at https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/circle-sport-parts-ways-with-the-motorsports-group.
[6] I understand from Counsel that Bankruptcy Court documents confirm the transfer of the charter from BK Racing to Front Row Motorsports.
[7] Records regarding the charter transfer between Circle Sport and Go Fas Racing concluded at the end of the 2020 season, with Circle Sport retaining half of the shared charter. See NASCAR, “Go Fas Racing to scale back NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2021,” October 22, 2020, available at https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/10/22/go-fas-racing-nascar-cup-series-2021/.
[8] Roush Fenway Racing rebrands as RFK Racing following new ownership ahead of the 2022 season. See Albert, Zack, “Roush Fenway Racing becomes RFK Racing with Brad Keselowski addition as driver-owner,” NASCAR, November 16, 2021, available at https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/11/16/roush-fenway-racing-becomes-rfk-racing-with-brad-keselowski-addition-as-driver-owner/.
[9] Stewart-Haas Racing exits NASCAR and shuts down after the 2024 season, with a co-owner creating the Haas Factory Team to own two Cup Series charters. That charter transferred to a new entity, the Haas Factory Team, in 2025. NASCAR, “Haas Factory Team to operate one Cup charter, two Xfinity Series teams in 2025,” June 10, 2025, available at https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/06/20/haas-factory-team-cup-xfinity-2025-plans/.
[10] JTG Daugherty Racing announced it would rebrand as Hyak Motorsports following new ownership in 2025. See NASCAR, “Hyak Motorsports announces new name and ownership in 2025,” November 21, 2024, available at https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/11/21/hyak-motorsports-new-name-and-ownership-in-2025/.
[12] I include this table the three charters that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports owned after the end of the 2024 season.