BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Cody Ware will not compete this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway to “focus on a personal matter,” according to a statement Saturday from Rick Ware Racing.
Matt Crafton will drive the No. 51 Cup car for Rick Ware Racing this weekend.
Rick Ware Racing stated: “Cody Ware will step away from racing this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway to focus on a personal matter. Matt Crafton will drive the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing. Crafton has more than 500 overall-starts in his NASCAR career, winning back-to-back NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships in 2013 and 2014.
“The Ware family asks that their privacy be respected during this time.”
The 27-year-old Ware is in his third full-time season in Cup. He has made 97 Cup starts since 2017.
#NASCAR … Matt Crafton will drive the 51 tonight for Cody Ware. Crafton explains when he found out about the opportunity, the work to get him to fit in Cody’s seat and driving a Next Gen car. pic.twitter.com/s8tFjxI78h
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) April 9, 2023
