NASCAR Issues Penalties to Rick Ware Racing

Getty Cody Ware's team will not have three key members for the next 4 races.

The sanctioning body has issued penalties to Rick Ware Racing after the trip to Watkins Glen International. NASCAR suspended three crew members due to a lost ballast.

NASCAR announced the news on August 23 with its weekly penalty report. The No. 51 team will lose crew chief Billy Plourde, car chief Jamie Edwards, and team engineer Steven Gray for the next four points-paying races. They will be eligible to return after the September 17 trip to Bristol Motor Speedway, which serves as the Round of 16 cutoff race.

The incident occurred during practice at Watkins Glen International. The ballast exited Cody Ware’s No. 51 Ford Mustang and landed by some photographers outside of Turn 2. This was a violation of Sections 14.11.2.1.A&B of the NASCAR Rule Book, which resulted in the penalties listed in Section 10.5.2.6.E regarding lost ballast.

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Ware Was Unable To Take Part in Another Session

GettyCody Ware started from the rear of the field at Watkins Glen International.

The ballast exiting the No. 51 Ford Mustang forced Ware to the garage. He was unable to take part in the qualifying session that followed practice, and he had to line up at the very rear of the 39-car field featuring several guest drivers from around the world.

Ware spent the majority of the road course racing trying to turn in solid laps and rebound from the practice issue. He dealt with some issues during the race, including a spin, before ending the day 34th overall and two laps behind the leaders.

Ware will now move forward to Daytona International Speedway, a track where he has an average finish of 26.3 in his four starts. He just will not have some key crew members on hand for the regular-season finale on August 27.

Ware’s Best Start in 2022 Took Place at Daytona

GettyCody Ware has three top-20 finishes in 2022.

While Ware has not secured a top-10 finish in his Cup Series career, he has turned in his best performances at Daytona International Speedway. This includes the season-opening Daytona 500.

Ware had a relatively quiet day at the 2.5-mile track. He started 32nd overall in the 40-car field, and he avoided five multi-car incidents that sent some contenders to the garage. He ultimately ended the Crown Jewel race in the 17th position, which was a career-best run.

Ware has since added two other top-20 finishes while adjusting to the Next Gen era. He finished 19th overall at Darlington Raceway during Throwback Weekend. He then capped off May by finishing 18th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The North Carolina native has not been in contention for a top-10 finish during the 2022 campaign, but he has made some positive strides during his first year as part of a two-car team. This includes six top-25 finishes in the first 25 races. Ware has also improved his average finish to 28.2, marking the first time that it was under 30.

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