Rick Ware Racing (RWR) has announced that Cody Ware will return to full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2025, piloting the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse with Billy Plourde serving as crew chief.

The 29-year-old Greensboro native impressed in his limited 2024 schedule, posting the second-best average finish (21.0) among part-time drivers across nine races. His standout performance included a career-best fourth-place finish in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway last August.

“The NASCAR Cup Series is where every driver wants to be and I’m grateful to be back fulltime,” said Ware. “I’ve improved as a driver and RWR has improved as a team, and this is, by far, the best opportunity I’ve had in NASCAR.”

A fourth-generation racer, Ware’s journey to NASCAR began relatively late at age 16 in Legend Cars. Since making his Cup Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2017, he has built an impressive racing resume that extends beyond NASCAR. His achievements include the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 championship and the 2014 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Rookie of the Year title.

Team owner Rick Ware cited Ware’s strong performance in his part-time 2024 schedule as key to earning the full-time opportunity. “Running a part-time schedule isn’t easy because it’s hard to develop consistency when you’re out of the car for weeks on end,” the elder Ware explained. “But Cody made it work and he and crew chief Billy Plourde developed a good rapport.”

The duo will now have the opportunity to build on their success across the entire 2025 Cup Series schedule.