Cody Ware
Cody Shane Ware (born November 7, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Rick Ware Racing in the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, a team owned by his father, Rick Ware.[1][2] A third-generation racer from Greensboro, North Carolina, Ware began his career at age 16 in Legends cars and has since accumulated experience across stock car, sports car, and open-wheel disciplines, including starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and IMSA GT4 America.[3] Ware's Cup Series tenure has been marked by a limited schedule prior to 2025, with 92 starts primarily in the No. 51 entry, though he has yet to secure a victory or top-five finish, leading just 32 laps across his appearances.[4] In April 2023, he was arrested on felony charges of assault by strangulation and misdemeanor assault on a female following an altercation with his then-girlfriend, resulting in an indefinite suspension by NASCAR; the charges against both parties were dismissed in December 2023, prompting his reinstatement and return to competition.[5][6][7] His persistence in a family-operated, underfunded team highlights a defining characteristic of resourcefulness amid competitive challenges in NASCAR's premier series.[1]
Background
Early Life
Cody Shane Ware was born on November 7, 1995, in Greensboro, North Carolina.[4][2] He is the son of Rick Ware, a NASCAR team owner who founded Rick Ware Racing in 1995, and part of a fourth-generation racing family with deep roots in motorsports.[1][8] Ware entered competitive racing relatively late compared to many peers, beginning at age 16 with Legends cars, a type of small-scale stock car popular for developing young drivers.[3] In his debut year, he competed in more than 50 races, building foundational experience in short-track events that laid the groundwork for his progression into higher-level series.[3] This family-influenced start emphasized practical immersion over early karting, reflecting a pattern in his lineage where hands-on involvement in team operations complemented on-track development.[1]Family and Racing Heritage
Cody Ware hails from a multi-generational racing family, with his father, Rick Ware, serving as a professional driver and founder of Rick Ware Racing, a NASCAR team operational since 1998.[9] Rick Ware competed in SCCA Trans-Am and IMSA series alongside his father, John Ware, under the Ware & Sons banner, securing Rookie of the Year in the 1983 California Sports Car Championship GTU class.[10] Rick later entered NASCAR in the early 1980s, achieving a third-place finish in his debut race at Sonoma Raceway.[9] As a fourth-generation racer in this lineage, Cody Ware began karting at age six, building on the family's road racing roots before advancing to stock cars.[1] His younger brother, Carson Ware, has also pursued professional racing, competing part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2020, primarily with SS-Green Light Racing and Rick Ware Racing entries.[11]Sports Car Racing
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Ware made his debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 30–31, driving the No. 51 Ligier JS P217 in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class for RWR-Eurasia, a partnership between Rick Ware Racing and Eurasia Motorsport.[12][13] The team, managed by BAM Motorsport and operating from Rick Ware Racing's North Carolina facility, selected Ware as the lead driver due to his experience as the reigning Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Am champion.[12][14] His co-drivers included NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon, Turkish racer Salih Yoluc, and German driver Sven Müller.[13][15] The entry marked Rick Ware Racing's first foray into the WeatherTech Championship, with the Ligier powered by a Gibson V8 engine.[16] During the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 51 car showed competitive pace, holding fourth in LMP2 at stages despite challenges including an overnight engine cover replacement.[16] The team completed 778 laps, finishing 10th in the LMP2 class and earning class points in their debut outing.[15][17] This remains Ware's sole appearance in the WeatherTech Championship to date.[18]Asian Le Mans Series
In the 2019–20 Asian Le Mans Series, Cody Ware competed in the LMP2-AM category driving an Oreca 07 for Rick Ware Racing, partnering with co-driver Gustas Grinbergas.[19][20] The team was the only entry to participate in all four rounds of the season, held across Asia.[21] Ware and Grinbergas secured victories in two rounds while achieving podium finishes in the remaining events, culminating in the LMP2-AM drivers' championship title.[20][22] Grinbergas, aged 16 during the season, complemented Ware's experience in the endurance-format races.[19] This success marked Ware's primary achievement in international sports car racing prior to his expanded NASCAR commitments.[23]24 Hours of Daytona
Ware debuted in endurance racing at the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona, competing in the LMP2 class aboard the No. 51 Ligier JS P217-Gibson fielded by the RWR-Eurasia partnership.[24] He shared driving duties with Austin Dillon, Sven Müller, and Salih Yoluç, completing all 24 hours to secure fourth place in class (tenth overall).[25] The entry represented a collaboration between Rick Ware Racing and Eurasia Motorsport, marking Ware's first outing in prototype machinery at the event.[12] A prior attempt in 2020 ended before the race, as Rick Ware Racing withdrew its planned LMP2 entry—a Riley Mk. 30 shared with Ware, Johnathan Hoggard, James Davison, and Mark Kvamme—due to logistical issues beyond the team's control.[26] No further participations in the 24 Hours of Daytona have been recorded for Ware.[27]NASCAR Career
Xfinity Series
Cody Ware made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on August 16, 2014, driving the No. 23 Dodge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.[28] He competed in multiple races across various seasons, primarily with smaller teams, driving car numbers including the No. 17 (eight starts), No. 23 (four starts), No. 25 (four starts), No. 15 (three starts), and No. 74 (three starts), often in Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, and Toyota entries.[29] Ware's Xfinity career yielded no wins or poles, with his lone top-10 finish—a seventh place—coming on October 10, 2020, at the Bank of America Roval 400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course layout, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing amid wet conditions.[29][30] His participation reflected opportunities with family-operated and budget-constrained outfits, focusing on road courses and select ovals where his sports car background provided occasional competitive edges, though mechanical issues and qualifying limitations typically resulted in mid-pack or lower finishes.[29]Camping World Truck Series
Ware made his Camping World Truck Series debut on October 18, 2014, at Talladega Superspeedway in the No. 5 truck fielded by Rick Ware Racing, starting 31st and finishing 27th after completing 70 of 94 laps due to overheating.[31][32] In 2015, Ware competed in two events for MAKE Motorsports driving the No. 50 Chevrolet: he started 23rd and finished 30th at Atlanta Motor Speedway after an accident on lap 48 of 130, and started 28th before finishing 27th at Martinsville Speedway due to a vibration issue after 216 laps.[31][33] Ware's 2016 schedule included two starts for SS Green Light Racing in the No. 07 entry: his career-best finish of 17th came at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park after starting 26th and running the distance, followed by a 21st-place result at Talladega Superspeedway from the 32nd starting spot.[31][34][35] Returning in 2017 with Beaver Motorsports in the No. 50 truck, Ware started 32nd and finished 22nd at Kansas Speedway after 162 laps, then improved to 18th at Texas Motor Speedway from a 24th-place start, completing 190 of 200 laps.[31][36] Across seven career starts spanning 2014 to 2017, Ware recorded no wins, top fives, top tens, or poles, with an average starting position of 28.0 and an average finish of 23.1.[32][31]Cup Series
Cody Ware made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on March 5, 2017, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driving the No. 51 Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.[37][1] He ran a limited schedule that year before competing in four races during the 2018 season with the same team. In 2019, Ware expanded to 13 starts under the Petty Ware Racing banner, a technical alliance between Rick Ware Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports that provided enhanced resources and charter access.[38] Ware's role grew in 2021 with Petty Ware Racing, where he attempted 32 of 36 races, qualifying for all but four events and establishing himself as a near-full-time competitor despite mechanical failures leading to frequent DNFs.[39] The following year, 2022, saw him run a full 35-race schedule (excluding the non-points All-Star Race) back with Rick Ware Racing in the No. 51 Ford, marking his first complete season amid ongoing challenges with equipment reliability.[38] His 2023 campaign was curtailed after seven starts when NASCAR indefinitely suspended him on April 10 following an arrest on assault charges, halting his participation until reinstatement on December 12.[5][6] Returning in a part-time capacity for 2024, Ware contested nine events for Rick Ware Racing, achieving his career-best fourth-place finish in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 24, where he led a personal-high 23 laps before a late-race shuffle.[40] This result represented Rick Ware Racing's strongest Cup performance to date. In 2025, Ware committed to a full-time role driving the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, completing over 30 starts by October with an average finish around 30th, hampered by 11 DNFs primarily from mechanical issues, though he posted a season-best 13th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.[1][4] Across more than 110 Cup starts, Ware has recorded no wins, poles, or top-five finishes outside the 2024 Daytona outlier, with his efforts underscoring the operational constraints of a small-team operation reliant on alliances for competitiveness.[38][4]