The No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford will have a different driver at the Charlotte Roval. Cody Ware will skip the road course race while recovering from an injury sustained at Texas Motor Speedway.
Ware announced the news on October 4. He confirmed that he will skip the Bank of America Roval 400 due to the footwork required to compete on the road course. JJ Yeley will take over the No. 51 Ford as his replacement driver. Ware added that he should be able to return the following week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Cody Ware was treated and released after this hard crash at Texas.
Per Rick Ware Racing, he was headed home after the race. #NASCAR
“This weekend I am making the tough decision to step aside and support my team from outside the car,” Ware wrote on Twitter. “Given the extensive footwork required for a road course event, I don’t feel I’ll be able to give 100% effort to my team, my sponsors, or to Ford.
“I appreciate everyone’s continued support and well wishes and I can’t wait to be back in action at Vegas. My recovery process is going great and I’m feeling stronger each day. Big thanks to JJ Yeley for filling in for me this event — I’ll be there pulling for you.”
Ware Crashed During the Race at Texas Motor Speedway
GettyCody Ware crashed during the race at Texas Motor Speedway.
The crash occurred on Lap 168 of the Texas race. Ware hit the outside wall and destroyed the front end of the No. 51 Ford Mustang. The stock car then sped through the grass and collided with the pit road wall before coming to a rest in BJ McLeod‘s pit stall.
The safety crews rushed to Ware’s aid as he climbed from the No. 51. They transported him in an ambulance to the infield care center where he received further evaluation. He was ultimately able to return to Charlotte with the team.
The initial evaluations showed that Ware did not have any serious injuries from the hard crash at Texas Motor Speedway. Though he later revealed at Talladega Superspeedway that he had an impact fracture that was not initially seen. This injury led to him wearing a boot and using crutches during the race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
There were some questions about the reason for Ware’s No. 51 traveling at a high rate of speed toward pit road. He provided an explanation during a September 27 appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Ware said that he believed his throttle had been stuck open.
“There wasn’t much I could do to get the car slowed down,” Ware said during his appearance. He added that he was like a “passenger” in his own car.
Yeley Has Multiple Starts at the Charlotte Roval
GettyJJ Yeley will make his 18th road course start in the Cup Series.
With Ware out of the No. 51, Yeley will prepare to make his 349th start in the NASCAR Cup Series. He will also make his 18th start on the road course as he serves as the injury replacement.
Three of these starts have taken place at the Charlotte Roval with three different teams. Yeley joined Front Row Motorsports in 2018 and finished 28th. He then joined Rick Ware Racing in 2019 for a 29th-place finish. His most recent start at the Charlotte Roval took place in 2020 with Spire Motorsports.
Yeley has made 15 starts during the 2022 Cup Series start, all with Rick Ware Racing. He has shared the No. 15 with Joey Hand, Ryan Preece, Garrett Smithley, and Parker Kligerman while posting an average finish of 29.6. This includes a pair of 23rd-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway.
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Cody Ware Skipping NASCAR Race at Charlotte Roval