Cody Ware, the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet driver, is gearing up for the 2026 Daytona 500 with high hopes. Speaking about the event, Ware emphasized the excitement of returning to the race that’s known for its unpredictability and chaos, while focusing on strengthening his partnership with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Chevrolet.
Challenges and Opportunities in the Race
The Daytona 500 stands out as a contest where unexpected winners often emerge, showcasing it as an open race for any competitor. Ware noted the victories of underdog drivers in past events and believes that with the right alignment of factors, anyone can claim the win. He reflects on his own progress from leading laps in last year’s fall race and plans to continue building a program capable of victory.
Strengthening Ties with Chevrolet and RCR
Ware’s move to Chevrolet and RCR has provided him access to advanced resources such as RCR’s static SIM rig and the GM Tech Center’s full motion and static simulators. These tools are not only beneficial for the race team’s overall performance, but also allow Ware to enhance his skills as a driver. He highlights the importance of improving alongside the team’s technological advances to avoid falling behind in competitiveness.
Applying Lessons from Last Season’s Daytona Performance
Last year, Ware led 23 laps at Daytona, an experience that has fueled his confidence for the upcoming race. He understands that success involves more than leading for brief moments; it requires consistency, refining driving lines through the draft pack, and managing fuel consumption wisely. These elements are critical to achieving strong finishes without compromising pit strategies.
Outlook for the Upcoming Season and Race
While acknowledging that the season has yet to officially start with points races, Ware is optimistic about the future. The alliance with Chevrolet and RCR brings renewed energy and improved equipment, which combine with his evolving skills to position him well for a competitive 2026 season. His determination and focus suggest he will be a driver to watch at the Daytona 500.
“Yeah anytime we can get back to racing, it’s always exciting. There is always a lot of chaos and uncertainty that goes into the 500 but I think the focus is to continue to build the relationship we have started with RCR and Chevrolet and my team, Billy Plourde and Dave Jones, my crew chief and car chief, they’ve done an awesome job prepping during the offseason. I think the fruits of that are starting to show between the little bit of track time we’ve had here and at Bowman Grey.” ?Cody Ware, Driver
“I think what that shows is that it is anyone’s race. You have guys like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell, guys that I’ve had good relationships with over the years when the stars fall and everything aligns, it really is anybody’s race. I think the biggest thing for me is to take what I’ve learned from leading laps last year in the fall race to building a program where we have the cars that are capable of winning and I still need to work on myself to make sure were in contention. But I think it is anyone race and I think it’s going to be an exciting year.” ?Cody Ware, Driver
“From my personal experience having spent a lot of time at RCR and the GM Tech Center, there are a lot of tools that are available not just to the race team but also myself as a driver are invaluable. RCR has a static SIM rig that I have access too pretty much 24/7 with their engineers as well as the GM Tech Center using their full motion rig and static rig. So to be able to work with RCR and their engineers has been good not just for the team, but for myself as a driver to continue to improve and make myself better because I don’t want to fall behind as our equipment and our expectations and performance is getting better, I need to make sure that I am improving as well. I think all in all I’ve seen just an across the board improvement but it’s still very very early because we haven’t had a points race yet, but I’m super optimistic with the alliance and switching manufacturers.” ?Cody Ware, Driver
“I think confidence has a lot to do with it. Having the confidence to go out there and lead and learning what it takes to lead and modulate a line in a draft pack like that. And just to continue to learn on that and not do it for a flash-in-the-pan moment but being able to consistently do it and also extract more speed out of the cars. Also fuel milage is also an important part and one of the things is we burned a lot of fuel doing that so knowing the time and the place to do that versus burning up fuel and creating a bad pit strategy for the team as well. But I’m excited to about Daytona especially after last fall and the new alliance with Chevrolet and RCR.” ?Cody Ware, Driver
