Tuesday night, NASCAR made the announcement that Cody Ware, who spent the early part of this season with his father’s race team Rick Ware Racing, would be reinstated to the sport after legal charges were dropped due to a domestic incident.
While I won’t get into all the details given the situation, the opportunity for Cody Ware to race again is there.
But, given the circumstances that led to Ware’s release and suspension in NASCAR, the question is, who will want to take on Cody Ware?
While for some it may seem unreasonable to even think that Ware would get a driving opportunity, motorsports and sometimes opportunities come to the most unsuspecting drivers.
In the case of Ware’s situation, a team would need to be willing to take on prior baggage that is coming from the past, but there are a few options for Ware to be able to race again in some sort of capacity.
- Drive for Rick Ware Racing
This may be the most obvious choice, but quite frankly, it may be the only choice and chance Cody Ware has to be behind the wheel of a car again in motorsport.
Although Ware hasn’t mustard up much success in his auto racing career, finishing in the top 20 only a handful of times in NASCAR, sometimes it can be difficult to deny a family a job.
While I do think this may be the highest possibility for Rick’s son to get another shot in NASCAR again, there definitely need to be some sort of discussion prior to allowing him to get behind the wheel again.
Yes, the charges for the incident are dropped, but, it is still fresh on people’s minds and was something that needs to be corrected and discussed, regardless of whatever team decides to bring on Ware.
I highly doubt that Ware’s first opportunity back will be anything full-time but if Ware does truly want to get back to a full-time schedule, coming back to his father’s team may give him the best opportunity.
Currently, Justin Haley is the only confirmed driver on the season, giving Cody Ware a open seat back in the Cup Series, but again, there still needs to be some repercussion prior to signing on again.
- Step Away From Racing
Yes, this option is a tough pill to swallow for any driver, but, due to the magnitude of the circumstances that Ware put on himself, it is a plausible option.
Only 28 years old, Ware is still very young for how experienced he is in racing, competing in IMSA and IndyCar as well.
Nevertheless, given the arrest and prior charges that were made against Ware, there is a level of concern from a PR standpoint.
Having a driver that has baggage can be tough for anyone, but when it involves legal troubles, it can create an entirely new wormhole that a team has to crawl out of in regards to media surrounding a driver hiring such as Ware.
No matter what, this situation will not go away and with it being a legal matter, the potential for negative things to happen from both a driver and team perspective can be problematic.
This could be something that leads to Cody Ware wanting to step away from racing being a potential factor.
Again, although young, having a tarnished reputation can mentally bring you down and stepping away from the limelight of racing in a major series may be a move that Cody Ware is willing to make.
- Find A Xfinity/Truck Opening
Sometimes, when coming back from incidents such as these, drivers must work their way up to regain their credibility.
While it is unclear in regards to what Ware has done in order to gain the trust from NASCAR to be back in the series, there is a level of hesitation, potentially even from his father’s own team, to bring him on.
This may result in Ware going back to his roots in regards to racing for a Xfinity or Truck Series team part time.
Many drivers have gone this route in the past and this could be a good opportunity for Ware not only to prove to teams, fellow drivers and fans his steps towards getting back on track, but, it also may take away from the heightened media attention that could surround him if he were to jump back to the Cup series.
Also, given his lack of success in his short time in the Cup, stepping back in NASCAR’s developmental series may allow for a driver such as Ware to gain some confidence and work to move up on the grid.
- Join Live Fast Motorsports.
This may seem like a stretch. However, it feels like there is a greater chance for this to happen than his fifth option.
But, another team that could be on the market for Ware is Live Fast Motorsports.
It is unclear currently what BJ McLeod’s calendar will look like behind the seat of his formally chartered #78 Ford Mustang, there is a opportunity here for Ware.
While it will still be a Cup Series ride, something that I mentioned may be a too early move for not only teams, but even Ware, the potential is here with Live Fast.
Even though Rick Ware may have the golden egg in regards to a seat for his son, Ware offering his son a seat back isn’t completely a set in stone opportunity, which is why a team such a Live Fast could fit the bill.
It may seem less likely, but, Rick Ware may not want to give a seat to his son that easy and with Live Fast running Ford equipment as well, Ware may have an outside shot to suit up for McLeod’s team.
- Races Outside of NASCAR
Part of the reason this may be a long shot out of all is the fact that this feels like a supporting role, meaning, Ware would need to be in NASCAR prior to jumping to other series.
Against Granite, it is unclear what Ware’s future aspirations may be now that he is able to rejoin NASCAR and even if he can join other series given his situation, but, the option for Cody Ware is out there to race in another form of motorsport.
Similar to the Truck/Xfinity option, shying away from one of the biggest motorsports series that media covers could create some negative turmoil.
By stepping outside of NASCAR, which Ware has done in semi-one-off races could be a refreshing move for the 28 year old.
However, even if Ware does race in another form of motorsports, it wouldn’t feel like a long term investment.
Even though Ware has prior experience in series such as IMSA or IndyCar, there wasn’t much substance outside of a championship in a short Asian Le Mans Series season.
Nevertheless, Cody Ware racing outside of NASCAR does not feel like a ideal opportunity available and would need to be tied completely with NASCAR before jumping into another series.
