Cody Ware is finally able to get back to racing.
NASCAR reinstated Ware in December, after the sport suspended him indefinitely after an alleged domestic assault charge in 2023 was dropped. The former driver of the No. 51 Ford for his father's team Rick Ware Racing, Ware hoped to get another chance and it looks like he got it.
Ware has already gotten back behind in the wheel in 2024, driving an LMP3 car at Daytona during the Roar Before the 24 in a pair of races in which he finished third and eighth, and he is planning to run a Mazda MX-5 in another pair of races in the lead-up to this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona. And, if things go his way, he will return to RWR for a limited NASCAR Cup schedule in 2024. Justin Haley will drive Ware's former car, the No. 51; Kaz Grala will drive the No. 15 car in 25 races, and it seems that Ware will pilot the car in the remaining races.
Ware spoke with the Daytona Beach News-Journal about his possible return to the Cup Series.
"Not set in stone, but tentatively plans are to be back in the Cup car in April," Ware said. "We're dotting our I's and crossing our T's there, with sponsorships and getting everything lined up. After my suspension last year, I lost the majority of my sponsorships, so we're trying to build everything back up after that."
The driving force in NASCAR is sponsorship, and losing a sponsor can derail a driver's career. It looks like Ware lost most of those sponsors after his suspension. The biggest sponsor loss must be Nurtec ODT, who sponsored the team in NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA.
While Ware hasn't experienced much success in his Cup career so far, he's getting another chance to prove himself on the track. Hopefully, the 28-year-old driver can make something out of it.
