Cody Ware arrested, charged for assault

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He had been replaced by Matt Crafton in the #51 Ford for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, for what his Rick Ware Racing team simply referred to as a “personal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 Some pointed out that Ware’s name on the windshield had been replaced by Crafton’s, a curious change of pace as cars typically retained the original driver’s name banner even with a substitute (e.g., Josh Berry racing the #9 with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.