Rick Ware Racing has aligned with Richard Childress Racing and is reportedly jumping ship from Ford to Chevrolet. According to Catchfence journalist Lee Spencer, the move would make RWR the second Cup Series team to switch OEMS ahead of the 2026 season.
The HAAS Factory team had already made the switch to Chevy. RSS Racing was another team that followed suit in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. With Kaulig Racing departing RCR to set up their own camp with RAM, RWR took up the open slot. Kaulig remains with Chevy as of now, with an expected switch to RAM in 2027 or 2028.
RWR has been with Ford since 2022. The team's most recent partnership included RFK Racing's technical alliance, while the latter leased RWR's No.60 charter as well. RFK Racing will continue to lease the charter in 2026.
Chevrolet, on its part, recently released their updated body to match the pace of Ford and Toyota. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick shared his excitement about the new body, noting that it's supposedly better than the current model.
Chevys have lagged behind the Fords and the Toyotas in the Next Gen Era. The 2026 revival offers them a chance to make up lost ground. Notably, this year was the first season where a Chevrolet won the Cup Series title, but it was Denny Hamlin's Toyota that dominated the finale race, before handing over the title due to a strategy mix-up.
23XI set to bring in Richard Childress for witness testimony against NASCAR
With NASCAR's antitrust trial underway, new details have emerged about 23XI and FRM's plan against the sanctioning body. NASCAR chief Steve Phelps came under fire for his expletive-laden text messages blasting Richard Childress, and the two teams have decided to make Childress a part of their witness testimony.
In a recent episode of The Teardown podcast, hosts Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi went over the latest development.
"NASCAR told the judge that 23XI and Front Row are going to be calling Richard Childress as one of their witnesses. So, we're going to get Richard Childress on the stand being called by the plaintiffs," Gluck said.
"That is going to be wild. Who knows what Richard says? It's gonna be interesting to see other teams, Roger Penke's gonna be on the stand, Rick Hendrick's gonna be on the stand, Heather Gibbs is gonna be on the stand. Richard Childress is gonna be on the stand. By the process of elimination, one of those teams is the one that lost a lot of money," Bianchi concluded.
The move comes in the wake of RCR's statement on the matter, which hinted at a potential lawsuit against NASCAR. Moreover, veteran drivers like Mark Martin have issued statements in support of Richard Childress.
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