Cody Ware 2026 Season Report Card: Steady at the Back, a D
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from every race they ran, not opinion. Next up: the number 51 of Rick Ware Racing, the last of the 35 full-time drivers.
The Short Version
Cody Ware's 2026 season in the No. 51 was Rick Ware Racing's first back in a Chevrolet, with a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. He started all 36 races and finished 35th in points. He ranked 1st of 35 in finish spread, the most consistent results in the series, but they were consistently near the back: a 29.9 average finish, last among full-time drivers. He did lead 19 laps, more than nine other full-time drivers, Alex Bowman among them. The full year grades out to a D, 34th of 35.
Why the Cody Ware 2026 Grade Is a D
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Ware's season score ranked 34th of 35, just ahead of rookie Connor Zilisch. Finishing position carries the most weight in the formula, and 24 of his 36 finishes were 30th or worse. His best finish all year was 16th. What kept him off the bottom was positions gained and the laps he led in the draft.
Cody Ware by the Numbers
Here is where Ware ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
Read the card bottom up. Ware was 1st in finish spread and 4th in positions gained at +3.7 per race. He started 33.5th on average, so moving forward was almost the only direction available, and he did it most weekends. His four DNFs ranked 16th, right in the middle of the field.
The rest of the card is the reality of a single-car team at the back of the grid. He ranked 35th in average finish, average driver rating (35.4), average running position (31.1), lead lap finishes (7) and percent of laps in the top 15 (4 percent). He had zero top 10s and 48 fastest laps, 34th.
The Laps Up Front
Every lap Ware led came in the draft, and those are the races that stand out in his log:
- Daytona 500, Feb. 15: started 33rd, led 2 laps, finished 17th.
- Daytona, Aug. 29: started 25th, led 8 laps, then crashed out and finished 35th.
- Talladega, Oct. 25: started 11th, his best start of the year, led 9 laps and finished 16th, his best finish of the year.
- Talladega, April 26: started 36th and finished 21st.
Those two Daytona and Talladega top 20s were the only top 20s of his season. At the six drafting races he averaged a 24.7 finish. Everywhere else it was 30.9.
First Half vs Second Half
There was no turnaround. Ware averaged a 29.5 finish over the first 26 races and a 30.7 over the last 10. His crashes were spread across the year: Atlanta in February, Watkins Glen in May, Daytona in August and Phoenix in October. Billy Plourde was his crew chief for all 36 races.
The Chevrolet switch and the RCR alliance did not move the needle on raw speed in year one. The No. 51 started 30th or worse in 32 of 36 races.
What 2027 Looks Like
FOX Sports reports Ware is expected to return to the No. 51, though the team has not announced it. Rick Ware Racing's other charter, which RFK Racing leased in 2026, moves to Legacy Motor Club's new third car next year. Every move is on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The new season starts at the Clash at Daytona on Feb. 13, then the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21 at 2:30 PM ET on FOX. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide.
Daytona is where the No. 51 has its best shot. A clean 500 with the draft working for him is worth more to this grade than any other race on the schedule. Every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
Cody Ware was the most predictable finisher in the Cup Series in 2026, and the prediction was usually 30th. The D reflects a team that brought the car home and gained spots, without the speed to run anywhere near the front outside the draft.
Gear Up for Daytona
Ware led laps in both Daytona races. We do not have Ware gear in stock right now, but the Daytona gear is here, and the newest arrivals land every week.
- 2026 Daytona 500 True Timber Camo Hat
- 2026 Daytona 500 Trophy Black Hat
- Pit Stop Surprise Subscription
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; Chevrolet switch and RCR alliance via NASCAR.com; 2027 status via FOX Sports; Legacy charter move via Racing News.
