Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing Team Information
Car No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
15 | Kaz Grala | Ford |
Cody Ware | Ford | |
Riley Herbst | Ford | |
51 | Justin Haley | Ford |
As an organization, Rick Ware Racing has been involved in the NASCAR Cup Series for quite some time, fielding the team's first entry at Sonoma Raceway in 1998. For several years after, the organization would show up sporadically for a part-time entry.
Between 2005 and 2012, Rick Ware Racing failed to qualify for 29 of the 30 NASCAR Cup Series events they attempted, with the team's singular start coming at Las Vegas - in partnership with Max Q Motorsports.
In 2017, Rick Ware Racing put more resources into its NASCAR Cup Series program, fielding an entry in the majority of events. For the following season, the team leased a charter from Richard Petty Motorsports to run full-time with several different drivers.
During the second-half of 2018, the organization debuted a second part-time entry for select races, the No. 52. That entry would be upgraded to full-time in 2019, after Rick Ware Racing purchased a charter from Front Row Motorsports.
Expansion plans didn't stop there, though, with Rick Ware Racing rolling out a third entry (No. 53) during the first-half of 2019, and later that year, bringing out a fourth entry (No. 54) in select races.
Rick Ware Racing then leased a charter from Front Row Motorsports to field the No. 53 full-time in 2020. In May, the organization then bought Premium Motorsports and would acquire a fourth charter, keeping the No. 15 branding that came along with the mid-season transfer.
With the NextGen car around the corner, Rick Ware Racing scaled back its operations for the 2022 season, fielding only two entries full-time with support from Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Yates Engines. In 2023, the team would pivot its alliance to RFK Racing
On July 20, 2023, Rick Ware Racing confirmed that it would have its first full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, with Justin Haley in the No. 51 Ford Mustang. Kaz Grala, Riley Herbst, and Cody Ware would later be confirmed to split the team's second entry, the No. 15.
JOSEPH SRIGLEY