IndyCar: Notable omission from 2021 Indy 500 entry list

Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Cody Ware had planned to qualify for the 105th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but that won’t happen.

Dale Coyne Racing formed a partnership with Rick Ware Racing, which currently field four full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, ahead of the 2021 IndyCar season, and they announced the operation of two cars through this new partnership.

One car, the #51 Honda, is a full-time entry, driven by former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean in the road and street course races on the 17-race schedule and by Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of the legendary Emerson Fittipaldi, in the oval races, including the Indy 500.

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The #52 Honda is set to be fielded on a part-time basis, and its first appearance was to have been the Indy 500 with Cody Ware behind the wheel.

However, Ware, the son of team owner Rick Ware, was unable to secure sponsorship for this ride.

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As a result, the full-time Cup Series driver of the #51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet will not attempt to qualify for the 105th running of the 200-lap “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.

The 25-year-old Greensboro, North Carolina native, who has an extensive racing background that goes well beyond his limited time in NASCAR (35 Cup Series starts, 24 Xfinity Series starts and seven Truck Series starts) tested at the Sebring International Raceway road course before the season began, and he tested at the Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway ovals as well.

It is now unclear where the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Am champion will get the chance to make his IndyCar debut behind the wheel of the #52 Honda this season. The plan is still to run this entry in select races throughout the remainder of the season.

Without Ware, there are 35 confirmed drivers for this year’s running of the Indy 500, meaning that two will be bumped from the field to set the 11 rows of three that make up the starting lineup. Bumping has not happened since 36 drivers attempted to qualify for the race in 2019 and three failed to do so.

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The 105th running of the Indy 500 is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 30. Qualifying is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23.