Cody Ware was arrested and charged Monday by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office with felony assault by strangulation with serious bodily injury inflicted and misdemeanour assault on a female. Details of the case were not disclosed beyond the charges. NASCAR indefinitely suspended him shortly after the arrest.
He had been replaced by Matt Crafton in the #51 Ford for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, for what his Rick Ware Racing team simply referred to as a “personal matter.” Some pointed out that Ware’s name on the windshield had been replaced by Crafton’s, a curious change of pace as cars typically retained the original driver’s name banner even with a substitute (e.g., Josh Berry racing the #9 with Chase Elliott’s name still listed while the latter is out with a broken leg). Crafton retired with an engine failure in thirty-fourth.
As of this article’s publication, Ware remains in custody at Iredell County Detention Facility in Statesville, North Carolina, though bail was secured for USD$3,000 (€2,763.27).
Prior to his suspension, Ware was thirty-first in points with a best finish of fourteenth at the Daytona 500. He has raced in the Cup Series for his family team since 2017, becoming a full-time driver in 2022 and placing thirty-second in the standings.
His younger brother Carson Ware had also been indefinitely suspended in 2021 following his arrest for assault and property damage. Though he was reinstated a year later, Carson has not returned to racing since.
RWR did not immediately announce a replacement in the #51 for any races he will miss while serving the suspension.
