Rick Ware Racing driver Cody Ware got a great deal of attention at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday, but not for racing near the front. Sadly, Ware got attention for a scary crash on lap 168 when he became a victim of a blown tire.
Ware’s No. 51 Ford snapped right between Turns 3 and 4 on the 1.5-mile speedway and crashed nose first into the outside wall. The momentum sent the mangled remnants of the machine through Turn 4 and into the pits where it came to a hard stop along the pit road wall just missing the opening for the entrance to the garage area.
Ware climbed from the car and immediately collapsed to the pavement. He was helped up and over the wall. He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the infield care center where he was checked and released after about an hour.
“We are thankful to the track crew here,” team manager Robby Benton said. “We had a bit of a delay going through the normal protocol of x-rays and reviews and making sure there were no fractures. All of that came back clear. He will be on the team plane with us to return to Charlotte tonight and we are happy he is okay.”
Benton said Ware had no serious injuries.
“No broken bones,” he said. “I feel like we will probably follow up just as a precaution. He will see a specialist with Ortho Carolina once we get home. For as hard of a hit as that was, we are thankful it is as clean as it is, and he will be okay to go home tonight.”
Benton reported that Ware seemed to only have a sore ankle, but no concussion.
The crash was reminiscent of one involving Mark Martin at Michigan in 2012. Martin was leading that race when a car spun out in front of him and caused him to spin coming out of Turn 4. The car slid sideways down pit road and slammed into the opening of the pit wall in a T-bone fashion about 18 inches behind the driver’s compartment. Martin was able to walk away from that frightening crash.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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