NASCAR Driver Cody Ware Suspended Indefinitely Following Arrest for Assault

Photo: Maddie Meyer / Staff (Getty Images)

If you’ve read some of our previous coverage of NASCAR driver Cody Ware, you’d probably come away with the impression that he’s a pretty great guy. After all, he helped Brad Perez break into NASCAR and gave Ryan Ellis his first Cup Series start since 2016 after knocking him out of an earlier race. But recent news might change that impression, after Ware was arrested for assault.

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The Associated Press reports that Ware was arrested Monday in Iredell County, North Carolina. He’s been charged with “assault on a female and assault by strangulation inflicting serious injury.” Details about what specifically took place have yet to be released, but with charges like that, things aren’t exactly looking great for Ware. That said, he’s reportedly already been released from jail after posting a $3,000 bond.

The AP was able to obtain a police report that showed the incident took place close to midnight on April 3 and that no weapons were involved. However, “[b]ecause it is a domestic violence situation, no other details of the incident have been made available.” NASCAR has since suspended Ware from competition indefinitely.

On Saturday, Rick Ware Racing released a statement saying:

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.

This isn’t the first time one of Rick Ware’s sons has been arrested for alleged assault. Back in 2021, Cody’s brother Carson Ware was charged with “assaulting a female, simple assault, and injury to personal property.”