Rick Ware Racing (RWR) will align its NASCAR Cup Series program with Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing in 2026, the team confirmed on Monday.
The multi-year relationship with General Motors (GM) will include a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, in which Rick Ware Racing will be using engines prepared by ECR Engines.
“Chevrolet has always set a high bar with its people, its performance, and its passion for racing, and partnering with them gives us the resources and support to make real progress on the racetrack,” said Rick Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing. “Teaming up with RCR and ECR provides a foundation we can build on, not just for 2026, but for the future of our race team. We’re proud to be part of the Chevrolet family.”
Chevrolet is the winningest organization in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series, with a total of 881 victories, as well as 44 manufacturer championships all-time, including each of the last five.
“The NASCAR Cup Series is the toughest and most competitive series in motorsports, and this is an important move for the long-term growth of our company,” Ware added. “We’ve won in NHRA, American Flat Track, World Supercross, and the CARS Tour, and we want to elevate our NASCAR performance to the level of our other programs.”
Cody Ware, the eldest son of Rick Ware Racing team owner Rick Ware, will be piloting the No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, beginning with the pre-season exhibition event at Bowman-Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 1.
“Rick [Ware] and his team have shown a real commitment to growing their program, and we’re proud to support that effort alongside our partners at Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines,” said Pat Suhy, Manager of NASCAR Competition for GM Motorsports.
In its decade-long tenure in the NASCAR Cup Series, Rick Ware Racing has amassed more than 700 career starts, in which time the team has collected a pair of top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes — the best of which was a pair of fourth-place results by David Ragan (2020 Daytona 500) and Cody Ware (2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400) at Daytona International Speedway.
The points-paying season for the NASCAR Cup Series will begin on February 15 with the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway — the first in a 36-race slate of events for Ware and Rick Ware Racing in 2026.
