Cody Ware’s mother, Lisa Ware, shared a health update on her son following his high-speed crash at the Chicago Street Course. Ware slammed head-on into a tire barrier at nearly 93 miles per hour with two laps remaining in Sunday’s Grant Park 165.
His mother confirmed on social media that while Ware is bruised, he is okay after the violent wreck.
Cody Ware’s Mom Responds to a Fan’s Concern About the Condition of the Rick Ware Racing Driver
The crash happened when the left front brake rotor on Ware’s No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse exploded, heading into Turn 6 on the penultimate lap of the race. Ware was unable to slow down, skidded through the turn, and hit the tire wall at full speed.
Moments after the impact, he radioed his team, saying, “I need help,” signaling that he was in pain. NASCAR did not throw a caution for roughly 35 seconds after the crash. This delay allowed Shane van Gisbergen, the race leader at the time, to take the white flag before the field was frozen under caution.
From Cody Ware’s onboard. He’d apparently been saying the right front had been locking up but didn’t confirm if it was a tire or brake failure before getting out of the car.
Tough ending to what had been a great run for him. https://t.co/YgTC90rWZt pic.twitter.com/5BleyEWnsq
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) July 6, 2025
NASCAR later said the crash looked less serious at first, and the race director believed Ware could drive away. Before the accident, Ware had put together a solid race. He started 35th and worked his way up to 18th by the closing laps, aiming for a top-15 finish.
A few laps earlier, Ware was involved in an incident with the No. 7 car, and his brake issues worsened after that. The mechanical issue eventually led to the brake rotor exploding, causing the crash.
Footage of the crash, posted by motorsports reporter Steven Taranto, showed the moment from Chris Buescher’s onboard camera. Lisa Ware replied to the video on social media, saying Cody had a tire go down. When a fan asked about his condition, she responded by saying:
“Yes, he is very bruised but ok.🙏🏻🙏🏻”
Yes, he is very bruised but ok.🙏🏻🙏🏻
— Lisa Ware (@lrware) July 6, 2025
Rick Ware Racing later confirmed Cody Ware had been released from the infield medical center. Ware explained that the brake issue started after contact earlier in the race and worsened until the rotor finally gave out.
Cody Ware is currently ranked 36th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 144 points. He is most likely not going to make it into the Playoffs. He would need a miraculous win in the regular season’s remaining eight races to confirm his postseason place. There are still four slots remaining in the top 16.
He turns his focus to the next road course race, the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, Jul. 13.
