Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing Looking to Maximize Superspeedway Pace for Shock Win
Throughout the 2024 season, there has been genuine progress made in the NASCAR Cup Series garages of Rick Ware Racing, beginning with the hiring of Justin Haley to pilot the team's flagship No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
After just 13 races, in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, Haley brought the team to a ninth-place finish, marking the first non-superspeedway top-10 for Rick Ware Racing in its time competing at NASCAR's highest level. Two weeks later, Haley earned another ninth-place result at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Those impressive results were part of a six-to-eight week stretch where Haley and Rick Ware Racing were competing for top-15 finishes week-in and week-out, putting together a pair of 13th-place finishes in the process, at Iowa Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway.
Although significantly less flashy, that increase in raw pace has seeped into Rick Ware Racing's second full-time entry, as well, which this season has been anchored by Kaz Grala, and included part-time stints for NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Riley Herbst and Cody Ware.
"To see where we were 10 years ago when I started racing to now, it's a totally different race team," Ware said after Daytona. "The alliance with RFK, the support we're getting from Ford Performance, it's really just turned this team around and I really think that every weekend we're going to just keep improving and getting better."
Ware specifically, making his part-time return to the NASCAR Cup Series, has seen a significant improvement in results this season, with three finishes of 21st or better in his last three starts at Indianapolis, Michigan, and most recently Daytona, where he scored a career-and-team-best fourth-place result.
“We’re here, I’m here to stay, we’re back racing, and not just at the plate tracks but we’re showing speed every weekend so I’m excited to keep learning, keep getting better myself, capitalizing on the alliance and everything we have with RFK and we’re going to keep moving forward.”
As the improved results continue to surface for Rick Ware Racing, the 28-year-old driver says morale at the shop is incredible, as employees are seeing the fruits of their labor on the racetrack and contending for top-10s on a week-to-week basis, and in the case of Daytona, a victory.
"People are happy to be here. When I walk into the race shop and I see everyone busting their butts day-in and day-out on these cars, they know it's worth it. They know when they're grinding all hours of the day to make these cars fast, it's worth something, we're not just riding around."
Last month's breakout showing at Daytona, where the No. 15 finished inside the top five with Ware and the No. 51 led a team-high number of laps, gives the Greensboro, North Carolina-native optimism heading into the next superspeedway event, the playoff-opener at Atlanta.
"I think especially after [Daytona], we’ve got a couple of superspeedways left in the year, so going for a win at Talladega or Atlanta is definitely in the picture," added Ware.
Ware is set to return to the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, as well as the series' return to Talladega Superspeedway in October.
JOSEPH SRIGLEY