NASCAR: 3 charters that could still be on the move for 2022
By Asher Fair
Charters that could be on the move: No. 2 – Rick Ware Racing #53
As mentioned on the previous slide, a downsize for Rick Ware Racing appears inevitable for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, and given a relatively undiscussed (and in some cases, unknown) NASCAR rule, it is actually more likely that the charter used to run the organization’s #53 team would be the first to go.
Plus, Rick Ware Racing subtly hinted that the #53 team, like the #52 team, wouldn’t be a part of their organization for the 2022 season as well.
The reason for this is the fact that all 36 charter teams are held to a performance standard. If a single team finishes in the bottom three in the owner standings (among only the 36 charter teams) for three consecutive seasons, NASCAR reserves the right to repossess that team’s charter.
The #51 Petty Ware Racing team (a Rick Ware Racing team run using a charter from Richard Petty Motorsports) ran that risk in 2022 after finishing in 34th place in 2019 and 36th in 2020. However, the team managed a 33rd place finish in 2021.
But now the #53 team finds itself in a similar position, having finished in 35th place in both 2020 and 2021.
One other team, the #00 StarCom Racing team, would have entered the 2022 Cup Series season in the same position, having finished in 34th place in 2020 and 36th in 2021. However, NASCAR warned them of this standard, and that hastened their desire to sell.
With hardly a chance to finish inside the top 33 in 2022, they opted not to run that risk and instead shut down after the 2021 season. Their charter went to 23XI Racing, giving the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned team their long sought-after second charter for their new #45 entry for Kurt Busch.