Rick Ware Racing Overview
Rick Ware Racing (RWR) is an American motorsports organization founded in 1995 and headquartered in Concord, North Carolina. Owned by former driver Rick Ware, the team competes across multiple racing disciplines including the NASCAR Cup Series, ARCA Menards Series, American Flat Track, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, and previously the Asian Le Mans Series. The organization has established itself as a diverse racing operation with a Chevrolet manufacturer alliance and has earned one championship title in the Asian Le Mans Series. Rick Ware Racing has competed in various NASCAR national series, IndyCar, and sports car racing throughout its history, maintaining ongoing partnerships within the motorsports industry.
Founding and Organizational Origins
The organizational roots of Rick Ware Racing trace back to Ware and Sons Racing, where Rick Ware and his father John Ware competed together in the SCCA Series. The father-son duo raced under the Ware and Sons banner as early as the 1960s when Rick first began go-kart racing. Upon reaching legal driving age, Rick joined his father in the SCCA and IMSA Series, building their experience in sports car racing competition.
In 1983, Ware and Sons achieved Rookie of the Year honors in the California Sports Car Club with Rick behind the wheel. The organization continued to accumulate titles in that series, along with championships in the SCCA and IMSA. After his driving career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Rick renamed the organization Ware Racing Enterprises in the 1990s and eventually rebranded it as Rick Ware Racing in 2004, establishing the foundation for the multi-disciplined team it has become.
Growth Into NASCAR Competition
The transition into NASCAR competition began with Rick Ware himself attempting to qualify for Winston Cup events. In 1998, Ware and Sons Racing Enterprises attempted to qualify a Ford in the Winston Cup event at Sonoma Raceway but failed to make the race field. This early NASCAR experience laid the groundwork for the organization’s future expansion into the national series.
Rick Ware Racing made its NASCAR national series debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1999 with two starts. The following season, the organization planned to run the entire schedule with two teams before Rick Ware suffered a career-ending fractured vertebra in a head-on crash at California Speedway. Ware transitioned from driver to owner, enabling the team to continue operations. This marked a pivotal moment as the organization shifted from a driving-focused team to a management and ownership model that would define its future structure.
Rick Ware Racing Competitive Journey
Throughout its history, Rick Ware Racing has developed from a small family operation into a multifaceted motorsports organization competing across multiple NASCAR national series, IndyCar, and international sports car racing. The team has navigated various partnerships, manufacturer relationships, and competitive challenges while maintaining a presence in professional motorsports for three decades.
Early Seasons and Development (1995-2010)
In the early years, Rick Ware Racing competed in the Busch Series beginning in 1995 with Rick Ware driving the No. 98 Chevrolet. The organization gradually expanded its operations throughout the 2000s, fielding entries in multiple NASCAR national series with various driver lineups. The team accumulated experience in the Busch Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series during this developmental period.
The Truck Series program saw significant activity from 1999 to 2003, with the organization running multiple entries and drivers including Brian Rose, Nathan Buttke, Donnie Neuenberger, and Michael Ritch. Notable performances included Brian Rose finishing twelfth at Fontana and Donnie Neuenberger scoring an eleventh-place finish at Nazareth in 2001. The team focused on one driver for the full 2003 season with Jerry Hill competing in 22 of 25 events.
Breakthrough in NASCAR Cup Series (2004-2017)
Rick Ware Racing began making attempts in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2004, fielding the No. 52 with Stanton Barrett. The organization continued intermittent Cup Series efforts through 2007, with Barrett attempting to make the Daytona 500 only to miss the race by a single position that year. These early Cup Series experiences provided valuable insight into the challenges of top-level stock car racing.
In 2011, Rick Ware Racing allied with the No. 37 Front Row Motorsports and Max Q Motorsports team for Cup Series competition. American Le Mans Series driver Tomy Drissi was initially qualified for the Sonoma Cup Race but was not approved for competition by NASCAR. Chris Cook ultimately drove the entry to a twenty-seventh-place finish. The following season, the organization again partnered with Max Q Motorsports to run Timmy Hill for the majority of the season in the No. 37 car in pursuit of Rookie of the Year honors.
Establishing Cup Series Presence (2017-2022)
Rick Ware Racing returned to full-time Cup Series competition in 2017 with the No. 51 Chevrolet, planning to run the complete schedule despite not initially possessing a charter. Timmy Hill attempted the Daytona 500 but missed the field, after which Cody Ware made his Cup Series debut at Atlanta driving the No. 51 with sponsorship from Spoonful of Music and Bubba Burger. Ware qualified for the race and finished thirty-ninth, retiring after seventy-four laps due to steering problems. The season saw multiple driver changes throughout the year, with the team participating in twenty-nine of thirty-six scheduled races.
In 2018, Rick Ware Racing secured a charter for the No. 51 car and ran with multiple manufacturers throughout the season. The organization also fielded a part-time No. 52 entry. By 2019, the team dropped Toyota to focus on Chevrolets and Fords. The No. 51 was registered as Petty Ware Racing after leasing the charter from Richard Petty Motorsports. The organization also secured a full-time schedule for the No. 52 team by purchasing a charter from Front Row Motorsports, and additional part-time entries including the No. 53 and No. 54 were introduced.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2022-Present)
In 2022, Cody Ware returned to the No. 51 car full-time using the former No. 52 charter. He achieved a career-best seventeenth-place finish at the Daytona 500. The season included challenges such as pre-race inspection failures at Sonoma resulting in penalties, and a serious crash at Texas where Ware sustained an impact fracture to his ankle, forcing him to miss the Charlotte Roval race. For 2023, the team formed an alliance with RFK Racing and relocated to a shop on RFK Racing’s campus in Concord, North Carolina. Tommy Baldwin Jr. was appointed competition director on April 9.
The 2023 season saw Riley Herbst score a tenth-place finish at the Daytona 500 driving the No. 15 entry. The car was shared with multiple drivers throughout the season including J. J. Yeley, Todd Gilliland, Jenson Button, and Ryan Newman. In 2024, Justin Haley drove the No. 51 full-time and earned two ninth-place finishes at Darlington and Gateway before a driver swap with Spire Motorsports moved Haley to the No. 7 and brought Corey LaJoie to the No. 51.
For 2025, Cody Ware returned to the No. 51 car full-time. On June 26, 2025, T. J. Puchyr, co-founder of Spire Motorsports, entered an agreement to purchase RWR’s NASCAR team, with Rick Ware remaining as a partner and Cody Ware continuing to drive the No. 51. The season included a charter dispute with Legacy Motor Club that was ultimately settled in September 2025 with RWR selling a charter to LMC. Harrison Burton drove the No. 51 at the NASCAR All-Star Race after qualifying through his win with Wood Brothers Racing at the 2024 Daytona summer race.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Rick Ware Racing has built its identity around adaptability across multiple racing disciplines. The organization’s experience spans stock car racing, sports car competition, and motorcycle racing, providing a broad technical foundation. The team has demonstrated resilience in maintaining competitive operations through economic challenges and competitive adversity in the NASCAR landscape.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Notable milestones include David Ragan scoring an eighth-place finish at the 2022 Daytona 500 in the No. 15 car, the team’s highest finish since acquiring Premium Motorsports. The organization achieved its first NASCAR-sanctioned victory on September 12, 2021, at Flamboro Speedway in the Pinty’s Series with Andrew Ranger driving the No. 51. The Asian Le Mans program produced a championship in 2019, with Cody Ware and Gustas Grinbergas becoming the youngest driver to win an ACO-sanctioned race at sixteen years old.
Rick Ware Racing Achievements and Results
Rick Ware Racing has accumulated accomplishments across multiple racing disciplines throughout its three-decade history. The organization’s achievements span NASCAR national series, international sports car racing, and various developmental series, demonstrating the breadth of its competitive capabilities.
NASCAR Cup Series Achievements
The Cup Series program has produced several significant performances despite operating as a consistently competitive team. The No. 15 achieved its highest finish since the Premium Motorsports acquisition when David Ragan finished eighth at the 2022 Daytona 500. Riley Herbst matched this performance with a tenth-place finish at the 2023 Daytona 500. The No. 52 recorded its first top-ten finish at the 2021 Daytona night race with Josh Bilicki finishing tenth, marking a career achievement for both driver and team.
Pinty’s Series Achievements
Rick Ware Racing made its Pinty’s Series debut in 2021 with Andrew Ranger as the full-time driver in the No. 51 and Alex Guenette fielding the No. 52. The organization earned its first victory in the series on September 12, 2021, at Flamboro Speedway with Ranger behind the wheel, marking RWR’s first victory at a NASCAR-sanctioned event. This accomplishment represented a significant milestone in the organization’s diversified racing portfolio.
Asian Le Mans Series Achievements
The Asian Le Mans program produced the organization’s sole championship title when RWR competed in the series beginning in 2019. The team fielded two Ligier JS P2 entries in the LMP2 Am class for Cody Ware and Mark Kvamme. Despite shipping delays at Shanghai International Circuit that affected preparations, the No. 52 finished fourteenth overall and second in class. At The Bend Motorsport Park, the team secured the LMP2 Am Trophy class win, with sixteen-year-old Gustas Grinbergas becoming the youngest driver to win an Automobile Club de l’Ouest sanctioned race. The Asian Le Mans championship victory stands as one of the organization’s premier achievements.
Other Racing Series Achievements
Rick Ware Racing achieved success in AMA motorcycle racing, winning three consecutive Arenacross championships from 2007 to 2009 with riders Danny Smith, Chad Johnson, and Jeff Gibson. In the Xfinity Series, Kevin O’Connell achieved a third-place finish at Road America in 2014 driving the No. 23 car. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program included entries in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and various sports car events, with the organization developing experience in GT3 and LMP2 competition.
