Cody Ware will attempt to complete a full 36-race NASCAR Cup Series season for the first time in his 10-year career as he will serve as the full-time driver of Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in 2025.
It’s a fulltime #NASCAR Cup Series drive for Cody Ware in 2025. The fourth-generation racer will pilot our No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse with Billy Plourde as crew chief. pic.twitter.com/fDC2aL0YHN
— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) January 15, 2025
Ware will be joined by veteran Rick Ware Racing crew chief Billy Plourde, who will remain with the team heading into the new season.
In a team press release, Ware, 29, expressed gratitude for the elevation to full-time racing in 2025, and vows to make the most of the opportunity.
“The NASCAR Cup Series is where every driver wants to be and I’m grateful to be back fulltime,” Ware said. “I’ve improved as a driver and RWR has improved as a team, and this is, by far, the best opportunity I’ve had in NASCAR. I aim to make the most of it and earn the respect of my competitors.”
A big part of why Rick Ware Racing opted to name Ware the full-time driver of the No. 51 entry for the 2025 season was how the driver performed during his nine races with the team a season ago.
“Cody made a lot out of the nine races he ran for us last year and proved that he was deserving of a fulltime opportunity,” said team owner Rick Ware. “Running a part-time schedule isn’t easy because it’s hard to develop consistency when you’re out of the car for weeks on end. But Cody made it work and he and crew chief Billy Plourde developed a good rapport. It made sense to see what could come of their collective efforts when they’re working alongside one another week in and week out. A full season together provides the best chance for everyone to succeed.”
In his nine races in 2024, Ware secured his career-best finish (fourth) at Daytona International Speedway, nabbed a 12th-place run at Talladega Superspeedway, and had a top-20 finish (18th) in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Heading into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Ware has 106 starts with one top-five and two top-10 finishes. The fourth generation race car driver will look to pad those stats this season in a full-time campaign.
