Rick Ware Racing

Rick Ware Racing

Owner(s)	Rick Ware
Base	Mooresville, North Carolina
Series	NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR Xfinity Series NASCAR Pinty's Series WeatherTech SportsCar Championship NTT IndyCar Series
Race drivers	Cup Series: 15. TBA 51. TBA Xfinity Series: 17. TBA Pinty's Series: 51. Andrew Ranger 52. Alex Guenette WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: 51. Austin Dillon Sven Müller Cody Ware Salih Yoluç IndyCar Series: 51. Takuma Sato
Sponsors	Cup Series: 15. TBA 51. Nurtec ODT Xfinity Series: 17. TBA Pinty's Series: 51. Miles for Migraine WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: 51. Nurtec ODT IndyCar Series: 51. Nurtec ODT
Manufacturer	NASCAR: Ford WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Ligier IndyCar Series: Honda
Career
Debut	1998
Latest race	Cup Series: 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (Phoenix) Xfinity Series: 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (Phoenix) Camping World Truck Series: 2017 Toyota Tundra 250 (Kansas) Pinty's Series: 2021 Pinty's Fall Brawl (Delaware Speedway) Asian Le Mans: 2019 4 Hours of Burinam (Chang) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona (Daytona) IndyCar Series: 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach)
Races competed	1191
Drivers' Championships	1
Race victories	5
Pole positions	2

Rick Ware Racing (RWR) is an American motorsports team which currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and NTT IndyCar Series. The team has competed in NASCAR, the ARCA Racing Series, the WMA Motocross Series, AMA Arenacross, Motocross and Supercross Series, Summer X Games, IndyCar Series and Rolex Sports Car Series since 2008, and is owned by former driver Rick Ware. Since RWR's inception, the organization has won championships in the SCCA (1988), the WMA Motocross Series (2006, 2007) the AMA Arenacross Series (2007, 2008, 2009), in partnership with Tuf Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour at Bowman Gray Stadium (2009) in partnership with Tim Brown Motorsports, as well as "Top Performing Independent Team" in the Motocross and Supercross Series.

Early years[]

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The organizational roots of RWR date back to Ware & Sons Racing with Rick and his father John Ware competing in the SCCA Series. They raced under the banner "Ware & Sons" as early as the 1960s when Rick went go-kart racing. Once of legal driving age, Rick joined his father John Ware in the SCCA and IMSA Series.

In 1983, Ware & Sons won Rookie of the Year in the California Sports Car Club with Rick behind the wheel. Ware & Sons with Rick as the driver went on to win several titles in that series, as well as the SCCA and IMSA Championship.

After a stint as a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Ware renamed the organization Ware Racing Enterprises in the 1990s and eventually Rick Ware Racing in 2004.

NASCAR[]

NASCAR Cup Series[]

Early years (1998–2012)[]

In 1998 Rick Ware attempted to qualify a Ware Racing Enterprises Ford in the Winston Cup event at Sears Point Raceway but failed to make the race.

Rick Ware Racing (RWR) had made a handful of attempts in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2004 with Stanton Barrett in the No. 52. In 2005, the organization made attempts with Larry Gunselman, José Luis Ramírez and Derrike Cope. In 2006 Larry Gunselman, Steve Portenga, Donnie Neuenberger and Stanton Barrett in the No. 52 and No. 30 respectively.

In 2007, Barrett attempted to make the Daytona 500 only to miss the race by a single position.

In 2011, Rick Ware Racing allied with the No. 37 Front Row Motorsports/Max Q Motorsports Sprint Cup Team. American Le Mans Series driver Tomy Drissi qualified for the Infineon Cup race, but NASCAR would not approve him for competition; Chris Cook drove the 37 to a 27th-place finish.

For 2012, Rick Ware Racing again allied with Max Q Motorsports to run Timmy Hill for the majority of the season in the No. 37 to vie for Rookie of the Year honors. After Mike Wallace failed to make Daytona, Hill DNQ'd the next race, but qualified in Vegas; he finished 42nd after a crash. When the team missed five races in six attempts, they were outside the top 35 and Ware moved Hill back to Nationwide, ending the partnership.

Full-time (2017–present)[]

In 2017, Rick Ware Racing came back to the Cup Series with the No. 51 Chevrolet for most of the schedule.

In 2018, Rick Ware Racing ran with all three manufacturers and the team also secured a charter for the No. 51 car. Later in the season, the team fields part-time No. 52 car.^[1]

For the 2019 season, Rick Ware Racing dropped Toyota to focus on running Chevrolets and Fords. The No. 51 team was registered as Petty Ware Racing after RWR leased the charter from Richard Petty Motorsports. In addition, RWR secured a full-time schedule for the No. 52 team after purchasing a charter from Front Row Motorsports, who had leased it to the now-defunct TriStar Motorsports.^[2] Starting with the 2019 Coca-Cola 600, RWR fielded a third team, the No. 53, on a part-time basis.^[3] Starting with the 2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, RWR fielded a fourth team, the No. 54, on a part-time basis.^[4] On November 27, 2019, NASCAR imposed penalties to Rick Ware Racing, Premium Motorsports, and Spire Motorsports for manipulating their finishing order at Homestead. Each team was docked 50 owners' points and fined US$50,000. In addition, competition directors Kenneth Evans of Rick Ware Racing and Scott Eggleston of Premium Motorsports were suspended indefinitely and fined US$25,000 each.^[5]

For the 2020 season, RWR took a lease of the former charter of Front Row Motorsports' No. 36 team, allowing the No. 53 to run a full-time schedule.^[2] On May 13, 2020, Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass confirmed that Rick Ware Racing had purchased Premium Motorsports and their charter for the No. 15 car from former owner Jay Robinson. Rick Ware Racing continued to run the No. 15 full-time for Brennan Poole under the Premium Motorsports name in 2020.

On October 10, 2021, it was reported that RWR was going into an alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Yates Engines beginning in 2022 as they will focus on running Fords.^[6]

Car No. 15 history[]

On May 13, 2020, Premium Motorsports was acquired by the organization, along with it, the team's charter for the no.15, which was piloted by Brennan Poole. However, the 15 still ran under the Premium Motorsports banner. Poole ran all but one race (the Bristol Night Race, where Poole was replaced by JJ Yeley) for the rest of the season. Following 2020, Poole left the team.

In 2021, the team would officially be run under the RWR banner. The team announced that 1990 Daytona 500 winner, Derrike Cope, would make his final career start at Daytona 500 in the car. The car was also fielded in a collaboration with Cope's team, StarCom Racing. However, after qualifying, Cope was penalized for electrical issues and failing numerous inspections and his qualifying time was disallowed. Also during the duels, Cope had issues with the car, placing 17th in his duel race, only completing 59 laps out the 63. Cope started 32nd in the race and only ran three laps before crashing on lap four, ending his day.

After the 500, the team used multiple drivers for the 15 team through the rest of the season. James Davison made the most starts for the team with 16 starts, and gave the team's best finish with a 22nd-place finish in the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville.

Dirt racer, Chris Windom made his NASCAR Cup Series debut with the team at Bristol Dirt Race, driving the car. However, an engine failure caused Windom to drop out of the race and place the car 33rd.

Later in April, Jennifer Jo Cobb was to make her NASCAR Cup debut in the GEICO 500 at Talladega; however, NASCAR announced on April 19 that she would not be approved to run the race. This was likely due to how the race itself would have been her first time in a Cup car because of the lack of practice and qualifying.

Joey Gase would drive the car at Las Vegas, Kansas, Nashville, and Daytona. At the fall Las Vegas race, Gase was involved in a crash when the car lost a tire and slammed the wall, sending the car airborne. Gase was transported to the hospital and released a few hours later.^[7]

Bayley Currey drove at Atlanta in July. Ryan Ellis drove at Kansas in October.

At the Go Bowling at The Glen, R.C. Enerson would make his NASCAR Cup debut for the team at the race. Enerson would drive the 15 to a 34th-place finish.

Car No. 15 results[]

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2021	Derrike Cope	15	Chevy	DAY 40																																				35th	210
	James Davison				DAY 23	HOM 37		PHO 33	ATL 32		MAR 22	RCH 33			DAR 31	DOV 33	COA 29	CLT 33	SON 25		POC 28	POC 30	ROA 28		NHA 36		IND 32					BRI 33
	Joey Gase						LVS 34							KAN 35						NSH 29								MCH 37		DAR 29	RCH 33		LVS 37
			Ford																										DAY 31
	Chris Windom		Chevy							BRI 33
	J.J. Yeley												TAL 26
	Bayley Currey																							ATL 32
	R.C. Enerson																									GLN 34
	Garrett Smithley																																	TAL 29		TEX 24		MAR 33	PHO 31
	Josh Bilicki		Ford																																CLT 28
	Ryan Ellis		Chevy																																		KAN 36

Car No. 51 history[]

In 2017, Rick Ware Racing came back to the Cup Series with the No. 51 Chevrolet with plans to run the full despite not having a charter.^[8] However things didn't go according to the plan:Timmy Hill attempted the Daytona 500, but missed the field, the team then had Cody Ware make his debut at the next race in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta, driving the No. 51 with sponsorship from and Bubba Burger.^[9] Ware qualified for the race as he started and finished 39th, retiring from the race on lap 74 with steering problems. Hill drove the car in the next seven races until RWR withdrew the 51 at Talladega. the 51 and Hill returned for the next two races at Kansas Speedway, and the Coke 600. Cody Ware returned and did both the Dover and Pocono, Ware's No. 51 acquired sponsorship from East Carolina University and Clemson University, respectively, with the latter also featuring logos celebrating the football team's 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship win earlier in the year.^[10][11] During the Dover race, Ware withdrew from the event after 283 of 406 laps after suffering from back pain. A week later at Pocono, he left the race after completing 35 laps, again for back problems.^[12] Ware was going to race at Michigan but he decided to stay out of the car for the race and the team did not find a replacement driver in time, forcing them to miss their third race of the year. Josh Bilicki joined the team for the race at Sonoma and New Hampshire,^[13] while Kyle Weatherman, B. J. McLeod and Ray Black Jr. joined the team for races in the mid-to-late portions of the season. By the end of the year, the team only participated in 29 of the 36 races that season.

On November 22, 2017, it was announced that Black would return to the 51 for a full 2018 season with a charter. The team did not disclose how they had acquired the charter. However, the deal with Black soon fell apart, leaving the 51 open for another driver. Justin Marks drove the No. 51 at the Daytona 500, finishing 12th.^[14] The car was fielded in partnership with Premium Motorsports, powered by ECR Engines, and was sponsored by Harry's.^[15] Harrison Rhodes joined the team for a one-off the following week at Atlanta to make his Cup debut.^[16] A partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing brought Cole Custer to the car the following week at the spring Las Vegas race for his Cup debut.^[17] Timmy Hill was brought in for the next two races, finishing 33rd at both the spring Phoenix race and Fontana.^[18] Rhodes returned to the car for the next four races. Timmy Hill drove the car at the spring Talladega race. Cody Ware made his first start of the season at the spring Dover race. McLeod drove the car at the spring Kansas race and the 2018 Coca-Cola 600. Custer returned to the No. 51 at the Pocono 400 Chris Cook drove the No. 51 at Sonoma. Jeb Burton drove the No. 51 at the fall Martinsville race.^[19]

For the 2019 Season, The No. 51 team was registered as Petty Ware Racing after RWR leased the charter from Richard Petty Motorsports. At the 2019 Daytona 500, both RWR cars triggered an unusual crash on lap 159. As several cars were entering pit road, Cody Ware and McLeod collided, sending McLeod to the infield grass and Ware slamming into Tyler Reddick, who inflicted serious damage on Jimmie Johnson's left rear quarter panel. Ware then hit Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from behind before resting on the infield grass, causing Stenhouse to collide with Reddick. McLeod, who drove the 51, finished the race 19th.^[20] Andy Seuss joined the team for his Cup debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.^[21]

For the 2020 season, Joey Gase became the primary driver for the 51 car.

For the 2021 season, Cody Ware was chosen as the full-time driver for the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Chevrolet.^[22]

On December 1, 2021, RWR lost its lease to the No. 51's charter after GMS Racing purchased a majority stake in Richard Petty Motorsports. The charter will be transferred to GMS' No. 94 car.^[23]

Car No. 51 results[]

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2017	Timmy Hill	51	Chevy	DAY DNQ		LVS 37	PHO 32	CAL 35	MAR 33	TEX 39	BRI 37	RCH 34	TAL Wth	KAN 28	CLT 29																									41st	82
	Cody Ware				ATL 39											DOV 35	POC 39	MCH										DAR 37			NHA 39
	Josh Bilicki																		SON 36	DAY		NHA 36
	B.J. McLeod																				KEN 32		IND 32	POC	GLN	MCH 36	BRI 32		RCH 37			DOV 36	CLT 32	TAL	KAN 30
	Ray Black Jr.																													CHI 40							TEX 34		HOM 38
	Kyle Weatherman																																			MAR 35		PHO 34
2018	Justin Marks			DAY 12																																				36th	188
	Harrison Rhodes				ATL 33				MAR 35	TEX 22		RCH 36
			Toyota								BRI 37
	Cole Custer		Ford			LVS 25											POC 26														RCH 26
	Timmy Hill		Chevy				PHO 33						TAL 36
			Toyota					CAL 33
	Cody Ware		Chevy											DOV 36																				TAL 38				PHO 28
	B.J. McLeod														KAN 35	CLT 33		MCH 37		CHI 35		KEN 32	NHA 34	POC 40				DAR 32							KAN 33
			Ford																							MCH 31				LVS 28			DOV 34						HOM 35
	Chris Cook																		SON 31
	Ray Black Jr.		Chevy																		DAY 16
	Josh Bilicki		Ford																						GLN 36
	Reed Sorenson		Chevy																								BRI 33
	David Starr																												IND 39
	Stanton Barrett		Ford																													CLT 40
	Jeb Burton		Chevy																																	MAR 33
	Joey Gase		Ford																																		TEX 37
2019	B.J. McLeod		Chevy	DAY 19						TEX 31																	BRI 32	DAR 39					DOV 29			MAR 27				34th	190
			Ford																	CHI 36	DAY 28			POC 33					IND 25	LVS 33
	Cody Ware				ATL 33								TAL 28	DOV 34		CLT 38										MCH 36
			Chevy			LVS 35	PHO 32	CAL 32	MAR 36						KAN 40										GLN 33
	Gray Gaulding		Ford								BRI 36
	Jeb Burton											RCH 31
	Bayley Currey																POC 25					KEN 33
	Kyle Weatherman																	MCH 36
	J. J. Yeley		Chevy																SON 38													CLT 29
			Ford																																KAN 30				HOM 30
	Andy Seuss																						NHA 28
	Austin Theriault		Chevy																												RCH 32
			Ford																															TAL 35
	Josh Bilicki		Chevy																																		TEX 30
	Garrett Smithley																																					PHO 31
2020	Joey Gase			DAY 23								BRI 33		MAR 35																										38th	133
			Ford					DAR 30	DAR 29	CLT 36	CLT 39		ATL 38		HOM 36	TAL 37	POC 37	POC 33	IND 26	KEN 34	TEX 32	KAN 29	NHA 34				DOV 35	DOV 40		DAR 33	RCH 35	BRI 31	LVS 35	TAL 17		KAN 37	TEX 37	MAR 34	PHO 32
	Garrett Smithley		Chevy		LVS 35	CAL 34	PHO 35
	James Davison		Ford																					MCH 38	MCH 37				DAY 39
			Chevy																							DAY 30
	Josh Bilicki		Ford																																CLT 33
2021	Cody Ware		Chevy	DAY 21	DAY 25	HOM 32	LVS 32	PHO 36	ATL 31	BRI 32	MAR 28	RCH 36	TAL 28	KAN 36	DAR 34	DOV 31	COA 32		SON 34		POC 25	POC 28	ROA 31	ATL 33	NHA 31		IND 40	MCH 27	DAY 28	DAR 33			LVS 31	TAL 28	CLT 36	TEX 38	KAN 31	MAR 30	PHO 28	34th	217
	Garrett Smithley																	CLT 34													RCH 31
	J. J. Yeley																			NSH 27												BRI 27
	James Davison		Ford																							GLN 37

Car No. 52 history[]

In 2018, RWR fielded the No. 52 on a partial schedule. The No. 52 car was set to make its debut at Charlotte in the Coke 600 with B.J. McLeod behind the wheel as Cody Ware was to drive the 51; however, the entry was withdrawn and McLeod was moved to the No. 51 car. The No. 52 instead made its debut with Cody Ware at Sonoma. J. J. Yeley, Gray Gaulding and Harrison Rhodes also drove the 52.^[1] At season’s end, the 52 did a total of six starts in the season with five different drivers, with its best finish being 30th at Indianapolis.

In 2019, RWR secured a full-time schedule for the No. 52 team after purchasing a charter from Front Row Motorsports, who had leased it to the now-defunct TriStar Motorsports.^[2] At the 2019 Daytona 500, both RWR cars triggered an unusual crash on lap 159. As several cars were entering pit road, Cody Ware and McLeod collided, sending McLeod to the infield grass and Ware slamming into Tyler Reddick, who inflicted serious damage on Jimmie Johnson's left rear quarter panel. Ware then hit Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from behind before resting on the infield grass, causing Stenhouse to collide with Reddick. Ware, who drove the 52, finished 39th.^[20] Prior to the 2019 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, car chief Mike Chance was ejected from the track after the No. 52 failed pre-qualifying inspection multiple times.^[24] During the race, McLeod was involved in his second consecutive pit road incident when he pulled towards his pit stall and Ryan Preece slammed into the back of his car. McLeod's car then slammed into Chris Buescher's pit box and hit fueler Anthony Pasut, who suffered a broken fibula, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and other injuries to his right leg. The collision put Preece's car out of commission with a 35th-place finish while McLeod and Ware finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively.^[25][26] In March, Bayley Currey made his Cup debut in the No. 52 at Phoenix.^[27] On August 15, 2019, Currey was indefinitely suspended for violating NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy.^[28][29] On September 18, Currey was reinstated by NASCAR after he successfully completed his Road to Recovery Program.^[30] Prior to the Talladega race, the No. 52's hauler caught fire at the garage due to an electrical short.^[31]

In 2020, the 52 ran the first 4 races of the season with McLeod doing the 500 and Yeley running the following three races. However, after the organization purchased Premium Motorsports the 52 switched the number to Premium’s No. 27 Owing to sponsorship considerations.

Yeley did the most starts in the 27 in 2020 with twenty-four starts (Best finish from Yeley was 21st at Indianapolis), Gray Gaulding did nine starts (Best finish from him was 25th at Texas), While Josh Bilicki and Cody Ware did the remains two starts. Bilicki drove the 27 at Atlanta where he finished 34th.

Cody Ware participated at the YellaWood 500 at Talladega. Towards the end of the race, due to a lot of front runners being involved in crashes, Ware was racing in the top ten until he crashed on the backstretch on the final lap, but was able to finish 19th for his first Cup Series top 20.^[32]

In 2021, the 27 would revert back into the 52 with Josh Bilicki as the full-time driver.^[33]

At the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Bilicki scored both his and the 52's first top ten by finishing 10th in the race.

That same year Joey Hand made his debut at the Bank of America Roval 400. Bilicki participated in the race in the 15 car while Hand was in the 52.

However following the 2021 season, the charter for the 52 was sold and the team was shut down.

Car No. 52 results[]

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2018	Cody Ware	52	Chevy	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	MAR	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	DOV	KAN	CLT	POC	MCH	SON 36	CHI	DAY	KEN	NHA	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI													45th	16
	J.J. Yeley																											DAR 31
	B.J. McLeod		Ford																										IND 30	LVS
	Gray Gaulding																														RCH 40	CLT
	Harrison Rhodes		Chevy																														DOV 38	TAL	KAN	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM
2019	Cody Ware			DAY 39															SON 36																					38th	90
	B.J. McLeod				ATL 32									DOV 37								KEN 36
			Ford			LVS 37		CAL 37
	Bayley Currey						PHO 31								KAN 33	CLT 35				CHI 32
			Chevy							TEX 35	BRI 31	RCH 32																										PHO 32
	Jeb Burton								MAR 35
	Stanton Barrett												TAL 35
	J.J. Yeley																POC 34											DAR 32
			Ford																		DAY 12										RCH 33		DOV 32
	Josh Bilicki																																						HOM 36
			Chevy															MCH 33							GLN 32
	Austin Theriault																						NHA 35
			Ford																					POC 34		MCH 32
	Garrett Smithley																												IND 28	LVS 35		CLT 36			KAN 34		TEX 36
			Chevy																																	MAR 32
	Kyle Weatherman																										BRI 31
	Spencer Boyd																																	TAL 40
2020	B.J. McLeod		Ford	DAY 38																																				33rd	257
	J.J. Yeley				LVS 28	CAL 31	PHO 26
		27						DAR 28						MAR 31	HOM 38		POC 31	POC 28	IND 21	KEN 30		KAN 22	NHA 29	MCH 26	MCH 29	DAY 34	DOV 31	DOV 38		DAR 30	RCH 34							MAR 31
			Chevy																										DAY 40							KAN 30	TEX 40		PHO 30
	Gray Gaulding		Ford						DAR 32	CLT 31	CLT 30	BRI 30				TAL 30					TEX 25											BRI 27	LVS 31		CLT 26
	Josh Bilicki												ATL 34
	Cody Ware		Chevy																															TAL 19
2021	Josh Bilicki	52	Ford	DAY 24	DAY 36	HOM 33	LVS 35	PHO 35	ATL 37	BRI 30	MAR 23	RCH 37	TAL 36	KAN 39	DAR 33	DOV 34	COA 30	CLT 35	SON 29	NSH 26	POC 34	POC 35	ROA 23	ATL 34	NHA 34	GLN 33	IND 18	MCH 31	DAY 10	DAR 28	RCH 36	BRI 31	LVS 36	TAL 31		TEX 26	KAN 33	MAR 35	PHO 30	33rd	220
	Joey Hand																																		CLT 27

Car No. 53 history[]

In 2019, RWR fielded a third team, the No. 53, on a part-time basis.^[3] The 53 made its debut at 2019 Coca-Cola 600 with B.J. McLeod. Other drivers such as Josh Bilicki, Joey Gase, Spencer Boyd, and J. J. Yeley also drove the 53.

In 2020, RWR took lease of the former charter of Front Row Motorsports' No. 36 team, allowing the No. 53 to run a full-time schedule.^[2] The No. 53 car was renumbered to the No. 36 for the 2020 Daytona 500 with David Ragan as the driver. Front Row Motorsports prepared the car.^[34]

In 2021, The 53 car was returned to full-time competition with Garrett Smithley as the primary driver. However, during the 2021 GEICO 500 weekend, The No. 53 was switched to No. 28 and ran as a tribute to Davey Allison with Joey Gase as the driver.^[35]

However following the 2021 season, the charter for the 53 was sold and the team was shut down.

Car No. 53 results[]

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2019	B.J. McLeod	53	Chevy	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	MAR	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	DOV	KAN	CLT 29	POC	MCH	SON																				HOM 32	39th	78
	Josh Bilicki																			CHI 33				POC 35	GLN		BRI 35	DAR				CLT 38	DOV	TAL
			Ford																										IND 29						KAN 36
	Joey Gase		Chevy																		DAY 27	KEN	NHA
	Spencer Boyd		Ford																							MCH 38
			Chevy																												RCH 34
	J.J. Yeley																																			MAR 28
			Ford																											LVS 32							TEX 26	PHO 29
2020	David Ragan	36		DAY 4																																				36th	179
	Joey Gase	53			LVS 31	CAL 33																							DAY 31
			Chevy				PHO 29
	Garrett Smithley							DAR 37	DAR 34	CLT 33	CLT 40		ATL 35				POC 33	POC 32	IND 24	KEN 33
			Ford																					MCH 35	MCH 34	DAY 36											TEX 31
	Bayley Currey		Chevy									BRI 38
	David Starr													MAR 32
	Josh Bilicki														HOM 37						TEX 31	KAN 25					DOV 32	DOV 32
			Ford																														LVS 36
	J.J. Yeley		Chevy													TAL 36
	James Davison																						NHA 30							DAR 39	RCH 37	BRI 35		TAL 30	CLT 29
			Ford																																	KAN 32		MAR 36	PHO 33
2021	Joey Gase			DAY 20																														TAL 25						36th	205
		28											TAL 34
		53	Chevy						ATL 35																											TEX 39	KAN 32	MAR 38	PHO 29
	Garrett Smithley				DAY 27	HOM 31	LVS 31	PHO 34				RCH 35		KAN 33		DOV 32				NSH 25	POC 29	POC 36		ATL 31	NHA 33			MCH 32	DAY 30			BRI 30	LVS 35		CLT 34
			Ford														COA 28		SON 32							GLN 36	IND 28
	J.J. Yeley		Chevy							BRI 28	MAR 25				DAR 29																RCH 34
	Cody Ware																	CLT 30
	Ryan Eversley		Ford																				ROA 39
	James Davison		Chevy																											DAR 36

-The No. 53 car was renumbered to the No. 36 for the 2020 Daytona 500 with David Ragan as the driver. Front Row Motorsports prepared the car.^[34]

-The 53 was renumbered to 28 in honor of Davey Allison for the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Car No. 54 history[]

In August 2019, RWR announced they were going to field a fourth car, the #54. The team planned to compete in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol, with JJ Yeley driving. The team would originally get sponsorship from the thrash metal band, Slayer to promote the band's final tour. However, some controversial incidents around metal bands, caused Slayer to pull their sponsorship.^[36] RWR replaced the sponsor with PODS for the race. Yeley drove the car to a 28th-place finish.

Garrett Smithley then raced a Lennie Pond throwback-paint-job at the Southern 500 in the car. Smithley finished 35th. Yeley returned to the team at Indianapolis and finished 26th, the 54's best finish. Smithley returned at Dover and placed the car 33rd.

In 2020, Yeley would attempt the Daytona 500 in the car but missed the field.

Car No. 54 results[]

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2019	J.J. Yeley	54	Ford	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	MAR	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	DOV	KAN	CLT	POC	MCH	SON	CHI	DAY	KEN	NHA	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI 28													43rd	26
			Chevy																										IND 26	LVS	RCH	CLT
	Garrett Smithley																											DAR 35
			Ford																														DOV 33	TAL	KAN	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM
2020	J.J. Yeley			DAY DNQ	LVS	CAL	PHO	DAR	DAR	CLT	CLT	BRI	ATL	MAR	HOM	TAL	POC	POC	IND	KEN	TEX	KAN	NHA	MCH	MCH	DAY	DOV	DOV	DAY	DAR	RCH	BRI	LVS	TAL	CLT	KAN	TEX	MAR	PHO	NA	0

Xfinity Series[]

Rick Ware Racing made their NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2004 running a combination of Dodge and Chevrolet cars with various drivers. Stanton Barrett, Stan Boyd, Kim Crosby, Bobby Dotter, , Kenny Hendrick, , Morgan Shepherd, Shane Sieg, and J. J. Yeley all took turns at the wheel for RWR in their inaugural debut in the series under the No. 51 and No. 57 banner.

The organization took a five-year hiatus from the series to focus on the Motocross, Supercross, Arenacross, and Women's Motocross series' only to make a return in 2009.

With a new attitude, the organization returned under the Chevrolet banner and numbers 31 and 41. RWR purchased equipment from Stanton Barrett Motorsports to start the season and quickly moved to ECR engines after power issues hindered the team.

Drivers Stanton Barrett, Derrike Cope, Tim Andrews, Travis Kittleson, Kerry Earnhardt, Tom Hubert, Kevin Hamlin, Daryl Harr and Justin Hobgood all split the time between the two cars. RWR later signed developmental driver Jeffrey Earnhardt, the grandson of Dale Earnhardt. Jeffrey Earnhardt's series debut at Dover was cut short with a late crash in practice and a subsequent DNQ.

2009 was a significant year for RW. At Lowes Motor Speedway, Stanton Barrett qualified the No. 31 in the 11th position. Kerry Earnhardt finished 12th at Talladega Speedway and also qualified 8th at Daytona International Speedway, both organizational benchmarks. Tim Andrews went into the history books as he was led by crew chief and father Paul Andrews, marking the first time in NASCAR history that a father was a crew chief for a son in the Nationwide Series.

In 2010, RWR ran in select races as it focused on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. At Daytona, RWR went into the record books again, this time with driver Chrissy Wallace. Wallace became the first female driver to make her series debut at Daytona in the No. 41 Chevrolet. Danica Patrick also accomplished the feat in the same event. Stanton Barrett competed in the No. 31 Fuel Doctor Chevy at Daytona.

Barrett rallied to a 14th-place finish at Darlington Raceway while leading laps for the first time in RWR history. Barrett competed in 5 races for RWR in 2010 in both the 31 and 41 Chevrolet. J.C. Stout also made a race for Ware Racing at ORP.

For 2011, RWR returned to the Nationwide Series, running the No. 15 car with Ford's purchased from Roush Fenway Racing. Ware ran ARCA development driver Timmy Hill for Rookie of the Year honors. Hill won Rookie of the Year but was forced to miss the season opener at Daytona because Hill didn't turn 18 (NASCAR's minimum age to drive in the three national series) until February 25. Germain Racing ran the No. 15 Toyota in Hill's place with Todd Bodine at Daytona before selling the points to RWR. RWR also ran the No. 41 Ford with drivers Patrick Sheltra, Carl Long, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Doug Harrington. RWR also formed a partnership with , fielding the No. 68 for Tim Andrews, Carl Long and Matt Carter. Clay Greenfield made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut for the team in their No. 71 car in Atlanta Motor Speedway but was pinched up into the wall just under 100 laps into the race and finished 35th after starting in the 43rd position. Hill would eventually win Rookie of the Year over primary rivals Blake Koch and Ryan Truex.

In 2012, Koch joined RWR full-time as Hill moved up to RWR's Sprint Cup program. Hill ran the season-opening race at Daytona before the No. 15 was moved to a limited schedule with Jeffrey Earnhardt driving at Bristol with Sam's Club. Koch's original sponsor dropped their agreement due to ESPN not showing the sponsor's ad due to Koch being an outspoken Christian. Hill returned to Nationwide after a failed Rookie of the Year run in Cup, and drove the 41 while Koch drove the 15 as an occasional start and park. Riggs started and parked for Ware in the 75.

In 2013, the team returned with the No. 15 Ford Mustang driven by Juan Carlos Blum and Harrison Rhodes. The team also fielded cars for Carl Long. For 2014, RWR drove primarily with Carlos Contreras, Hill, and Josh Reaume.

In 2015, the team reunited with Contreras and Hill, but also ran with B.J. McLeod and Jimmy Weller III. For 2016, the team celebrated its 25th anniversary, The team partnered with B.J. McLeod Motorsports to share the No. 15, while RWR runs the 25. The team shut down the Xfinity program after the 2016 season to focus on the Truck Series.^[37]

In 2017, despite this announcement, the team returned at Road America in a partnership with Mike Harmon Racing. John Graham drove the No. 74 (usually Harmon's number) for RWR because the car was locked in the race and Harmon's driver: Nicolas Hammann drove the No. 17 (usually RWR's number) and would have to qualify on time but since other cars withdrew both cars make the race. Cody Ware also drove for Harmon in a collaborative effort between RWR and MHR and he continues to drive the No. 74 car part-time for 2018.

In 2019, the team announced a full-time car numbered 17. Chris Cockrum drove at Daytona and Talladega. Bayley Currey ran most of the races. Kyle Weatherman ran at Bristol and other races. Starting sometime around the Charlotte race in May, RWR partnered with Mike Harmon Racing (again) to field the No. 17 car together for the remainder of the season. The font that Harmon uses on his No. 74 car is now used on the No. 17 as well. Camden Murphy drove at Charlotte and Pocono. The team withdrew at Iowa and was not entered at Daytona. The team sold their owner points before Iowa to the new No. 28 H2 Motorsports car driven by Shane Lee, which indicated that the team may only run part-time for the rest of the year. Josh Bilicki drove at Chicagoland after Currey qualified the car while Bilicki failed to qualify his own No. 38 car for RSS Racing. Both Murphy and Currey would return for Kentucky and New Hampshire, respectfully. Part-time ARCA Menards Series driver Mark Meunier attempted to make his Xfinity debut at Iowa in July but failed to qualify. The No. 17 would also skip both road course races at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio.

In May 2020, Ware formed a partnership with SS-Green Light Racing to field his drivers in the latter's No. 07 car; Ware is close friends with SS-Green Light owner Bobby Dotter. The collaboration spawned after the No. 07's regular driver Ray Black Jr. was forced to exit full-time racing to focus on his family business. Garrett Smithley took over the car for the partnership's first race at Charlotte.^[38]

In 2021, Ware's partnership with Dotter continued by Ware using Dotter's No. 08 owner points to field the No. 17 car. At the Alsco Uniforms 302, RWR fielded the No. 52 Toyota for Carson Ware using Jimmy Means Racing's owner points.

Camping World Truck Series[]

Rick Ware Racing made its NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series. In 1999, RWR made two starts, one with Randy MacDonald and the other with driver-owner Rick Ware in trucks 51 and 81.

In 2000, the organization was set to run the entire season with two teams, the 51 and 81 when Rick Ware was injured in a head-on crash at California Speedway that resulted in a career-ending fractured vertebra to the neck. Ware moved into the ownership role to continue the team. Drivers , David Starr, Michael Dokken and Donnie Neuenberger finished out the 20 race schedule. Dokken produced an 8th-place finish at Loudon and led at Nazareth. Rick Ware finished a career-high of 13th at Texas.

For 2001, Brian Rose ran 15 races before heading off to Bobby Hamilton Racing. Nathan Buttke, , Dokken, Coy Gibbs, Donnie Neuenberger, Trent Owens, , , Michael Ritch, Jerry Robertson, Brian Sockwell, and Rich Woodland Jr. completed the roster that watched Rick Ware Racing expand to a three and an occasional four race team with numbers 51, 71, 81, 91.

Dokken had a season-high of 11th at Nazareth, Rose finished 12th at Fontana and many others finished in the Top 20 with laps being led by Dokken and Ritch for the season.

In 2002, Rick Ware Racing switched to Dodge and fielded the 5, 51 and 81 entries for several drivers. Lance Hooper ran the most races for the team with a total of twelve events. Randy Briggs, Mike Cofer, Michael Dokken, Jason Hedlesky, Ryan Hemphill, , , Carl Long, , , Donnie Neuenberger, , Michael Ritch, Brian Rose, Morgan Shepherd, , , Jason White and all competed for the team. Most drivers finished in the top 15 with Hooper leading a lap at Darlington.

During the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Rick Ware Racing decided to focus on one driver for a full season. Jerry Hill was slated for the task. Hill competed in 22 of the 25 events and finished 18th in the drivers' standings in the No. 5 Dodge. Ware also raced the number 51 and 81 with a number of drivers such as , Stan Boyd, Randy Briggs, , Carl Long, , , Chase Montgomery and Brian Sockwell.

After taking a leave from the series, Ware returned to the newly named NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for just two races in 2009 while competing in the Nationwide Series full-time. Chrissy Wallace in the No. 08 for Ware competed against her father, Mike Wallace, as it marked the first time a father and daughter raced in the same event in any of the top three NASCAR Series'. Chrissy finished in front of her father in the 13th position, marking the 2nd highest finish by a female in NASCAR history.

, coming off his record-breaking 8th Championship at Bowman-Gray Stadium in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series raced the truck at Martinsville as a celebration of their title earlier that month. RWR returned to the Truck Series with two full-time teams and an occasional third, using the 6, 47, and 16. Brett Butler competed in fifteen races for Rookie of the Year. Neuenberger finished 9th at Daytona as Butler finished 11th. Bobby Hamilton Jr. qualified and finished tenth on two occasions each. Travis Kvapil along with Hamilton Jr. and Butler all led laps during the season. Amber Cope, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ken Butler III, J. C. Stout, Brian Rose, , C. E. Falk, , Carl Long, Derek White, , Clay Greenfield, Justin Hobgood and D. J. Kennington all drove the No. 6 for 2010 in mostly 1–2 race deals.

Jeffrey Earnhardt, the 4th generation driver of the Earnhardt family, made his series debut at Gateway. Amber Cope and Angela Cope, the twin daughters of Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, made their respective debuts at Martinsville Speedway, as the two became the first twins to compete against each other.

For 2011, Jeffrey Earnhardt was to run for the Rookie of the Year title in the No. 1 Fuel Doctor Chevy. However, after only 3 races, the team was hit with the double tragedy of losing two crew members and Fuel Doctor announcing it could no longer sponsor RWR. Earnhardt was released from RWR after Fuel Doctor's announcement, but the two mended fences and raced again at Martinsville. However, Earnhardt was caught up in a crash running 7th with just 25 laps remaining. Bobby Hamilton Jr. raced the truck at Nashville and Carl Long and Dover before the team took a temporary break to focus on the Nationwide Series where Earnhardt would drive select races in the No. 41 car.

The Truck team would return in 2013 with multiple drivers. The program was revived in 2017, fielding the No. 12 Chevrolet Silverado for Spencer Boyd, Jordan Anderson, and Cody Ware.^[37] The No. 12 team failed to qualify the season opener at Daytona, with Boyd blowing up an engine during qualifying. The truck operation was dissolved after the fifth race of the season.

Whelen Modified Series[]

Rick Ware Racing joined the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series in conjunction with Tim Brown Motorsports. Brown and Ware's relationship dates back to the '90s when Ware made his own NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut with the help of a young mechanic, . Ware promised the youngster that he would help his career once he got going but Brown needed little help.

In 2009, Brown and Ware struck a deal to partner together for his attempt at a historic 8th Championship at the famous Bowman-Gray Stadium, the oldest NASCAR sanctioned track, located in nearby Winston-Salem, NC. Brown won five races en route to the title and the first for Ware in the series in the No. 83 Circle K/Hayes Jewelers entry. The entire season was caught on film for the series, Madhouse featured on The History Channel.

As true to their word, Ware promised Brown a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut if he won the title. Tim Brown made his truck series debut at Martinsville Speedway where he finished 27th in the No. 08.

Pinty's Series[]

In 2021, Rick Ware Racing made their Pinty's Series debut with Andrew Ranger as the full-time driver in the No. 51.^[39] Ware also fields the No. 52 full-time for Alex Guenette.

The team earned their first victory in the series on September 12, 2021, at Flamboro Speedway, with Ranger behind the wheel. It was also the RWR’s first victory at a NASCAR-sanctioned event.^[40]

Sports car racing[]

Rolex Sports Car Series[]

Rick Ware Racing returned to its roots of road racing as it did with Ware & Sons in the 1980s for the running of the Grand-Am Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2011.

RWR competed in the GT3 Cup Division at Daytona International Speedway for the historic Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and finished 11th in class and 25th overall with drivers, , , , Jeffrey Earnhardt and Doug Harrington.

The event marked the 10th anniversary of Jeffrey Earnhardt's grandfather, Dale Earnhardt and uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s run in the same event.

Fuel Doctor was the primary of the No. 47 Porsche.

Asian Le Mans[]

In 2019, RWR began competing in the Asian Le Mans Series, fielding two Ligier JS P2s in the LMPS Am class for Cody Ware and Mark Kvamme.^[41] In their first race at Shanghai International Circuit, the team missed qualifying and much of practice as their cars were plagued by shipping delays; to ensure their cars would be up to par, the team formed a partnership with ARC Bratislava.^[42] Although the No. 25 was unable to compete in the race, Ware and Kvappe drove the No. 52 to a 14th-overall finish and second place in their class.^[42][43] At The Bend Motorsport Park, the team scored the LMP2 Am Trophy class win as they finished fifth overall with Ware and ; at 16 years of age, Grinbergas became the youngest driver to win an Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO)-sanctioned race.^[44][45]

IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship[]

In August 2019, RWR announced that they will be entering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the 2020 season with an updated Riley Mk. 30 in the PRO/AM LMP2 class.

In 2021, RWR formed alliance with Eurasia Motorsport to field the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Ligier for the 24 Hours of Daytona LMP2 class with drivers Cody Ware, Austin Dillon, Sven Müller, and Salih Yoluç.^[46]

Motorcycle racing[]

AMA Arenacross Series[]

Rick Ware Racing has always had its heart in two-wheel racing. Rick Ware had raced a few seasons in the AMA Supercross Series in the late '80s at places like the Superdome. In 2007, Rick Ware partnered with Tuf Honda owner, and put together one of the most impressive organizations in AMA Arenacross history.

RWR with Tuf Honda with sponsorship from Bad Boy Power Drinks and Mahindra Tractors won the championship in 2007 with rider . In 2008, won the organization's second title in a row, and in 2009, rider made it a record three championships consecutively.

Tuf Honda with Dave Antolak has a total of 5 Championships, the most in the series history with three of those titles coming in partnership with Rick Ware Racing

AMA Supercross Series[]

Rick Ware Racing dates back in the Supercross to 1986 when the owner first raced in the series. In 2007, Ware focused on putting together a team in his return that would compete with factory teams, yet remain a small independent. , , and completed the team under the Yamaha flagship alongside Bad Boy Power Drinks and Pro30.

Tyler Bright captured a holeshot award at Detroit (1) in the Superlites and Jeff Dement captured a holeshot award at Phoenix.

In 2008, joined the organization and success followed. Marsack finished 4th at San Francisco, just one spot from the podium, and on a muddy evening in Daytona, Jake Marsack raced his way through the mud to a 3rd-place finish on the podium, marking the first time in modern-day history that an independent team finished that high.

AMA Motocross Series[]

RWR completed the three major series in AMA with the addition of the Motocross Series in 2007. Riders , and raced for Ware on Yamaha's with Bad Boy Power Drinks and Pro30 on board.

The team came back in 2008 and made several main events but trouble kept them from competing with the bigger budget teams in the series.

In 2009, Ware went to a single rider team with on a Honda with Mahindra Tractors on board in sponsorship. ^[47]

WMA Motocross Series[]

Few teams have scored as much success in the WMA Motocross Series, a motocross series for female riders, as Rick Ware Racing. With Bad Boy Power Drinks and Pro30 in sponsorship, Jessica Patterson, made history on her Honda bike for the organization.

In 2006, Patterson captured her 3rd title in the series and first for RWR. Patterson backed that title up in 2007 with Ware, becoming the most successful female rider in AMA Motocross history. During the two years with RWR, Patterson captured 10 holeshot awards and 13 victories, never failing to make a podium during the two-year stint.

Ware went in a different direction after the 2007 season to focus more on the NASCAR, Motocross, and X-Games Series, after making his mark in the history books in the WMA Series ^[47]

Summer X Games[]

Rick Ware Racing became interested in the crowd and excitement surrounding the X Games since its inception. In 2009, RWR finally took the step into the events with Women's Motocross rider, for X-Games 15.

Cruse had captured the bronze medal in 2008 was highly favored in the event. With Circle K and Fastwax on board, Cruse stumbled early in the event and charged from last place to 4th in the shorted race due to a television schedule.

Ware had faith in Cruse and went back to X-Games 15 in 2010 for the same event. Cruse had suffered an injury just weeks before the event and still completed the event after falling during the race. Cruse finished 8th.

RWR returned to the X Games in 2011 with a new rider in the Women's Moto X, Vicki Golden. Golden had competed with RWR and Tuf Honda during the 2011 AMA Arenacross Series and gave her the nod for X Games 17. Vicki Golden grabbed the holeshot for the event and went on to win gold for the organizations first gold medal in the X Games.^[47]

Other series[]

Allison Legacy Series[]

In 2012, Rick Ware Racing joined the Allison Legacy Series with Tyler Hill, the brother of Timmy Hill. Hill won the U.S. National Championship in 2009 and set a record of 10 wins in a season. His brother Tyler Hill won the championship in 2011 after winning 13 of 18 races.^[48]

NTT Indycar Series[]

In 2020, Rick Ware Racing partnered with Dale Coyne Racing to field James Davison in the #51 Jacob Construction Honda for the 2020 Indy 500.^[49] The car finished in 33rd after catching fire on lap 6.^[50]

In 2021, They partnered again with Coyne to field #51 Nurtec ODT Honda full-time. Romain Grosjean is scheduled to participate in all street and road course events, but not in any oval races besides Gateway.^[51][52] Instead, Grosjean's Haas F1 Team colleague Pietro Fittipaldi will race in the oval races. They also field #52 Honda for Cody Ware at Road America.^[53]

In 2022, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato will drive the No. 51 Honda full-time.^[54]

Racing results[]

IndyCar Series[]

(key)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Drivers	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pos.	Pts.
Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing & Byrd Belardi
2020					TXS	IMS	ROA		IOW		INDY	GAT		MDO		IMS		STP
	Dallara DW12	Honda HI20TT V6t	James Davison  R	51							33										34th	10
Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing
2021
					ALA	STP	TXS		IMS	INDY	DET		ROA	MDO	NSH	IMS	GAT	POR	LAG	LBH
	Dallara DW12	Honda HI21TT V6t	Romain Grosjean  R	51	10	13			2*		23	24	5	7	16	2	14	22	3	24	15th	272
			Pietro Fittipaldi				15	21		25											32nd	34
			Cody Ware  R	52									19		20	25					34th	26
			Ryan Norman  R											20							39th	10

* Season still in progress

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Rick Ware Racing owner statistics at Racing-Reference