Following a 36th place in the NASCAR Cup Series owner standings, last among full-time teams, in their first season running just one car full-time while leasing out their second charter, Rick Ware Racing have confirmed a significant change.
The team have announced a switch from Ford to Chevrolet for the 2026 season. Cody Ware is set to return for another year behind the wheel of the No. 51 car after finishing 36th in the point standings with a top finish of 13th behind the wheel of the Ford entry in 2025.
The team had been fully aligned with Ford since 2022, when they stated a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing. They shifted to a technical alliance with RFK Racing ahead of the 2023 season, and their second charter was leased out to RFK Racing for the 2025 season. It is set to remain with RFK Racing to run their No. 60 Ford for Ryan Preece again in 2026.
Rick Ware Racing back to Chevrolet in 2026
Prior to 2022, Rick Ware Racing had not competed with just a single manufacturer since 2017, when they were with Chevrolet, but they did not run full-time that year. From 2018 to 2021, they ran races with both Chevrolet and Ford, and even some with Toyota, before committing to Ford full-time in 2022.
Cody Ware most recently ran a Chevrolet at the Cup level in the 2021 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. His two career top 10 finishes, a sixth place effort at Daytona International Speedway in 2022 and a fourth place effort at the same track in 2024, came in a Ford.
He also led 23 laps in a Ford during this year's summer race at Daytona, good for more than half of his career tally of 41 in 142 races.
The announcement of Rick Ware Racing’s manufacturer switch makes them the second Ford team to switch to Chevrolet after 2025. The other was Haas Factory Team, the one-car team started by Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Gene Haas after the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing’s post-2024 shutdown.
There are just four teams set to compete full-time with Ford in 2026, compared to eight with Chevrolet, after both manufacturers fielded six organizations in 2025. Toyota still has three.
One of the other seven Chevrolet teams is Richard Childress Racing, and Rick Ware Racing's new deal is said to include a technical alliance with Richard Childress' team. Richard Childress Racing field the No. 3 Chevrolet for Austin Dillon and the No. 8 Chevrolet for Kyle Busch.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 15 with the 68th annual Daytona 500, with live coverage set to be provided by Fox from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.