Rick Ware Racing to switch manufacturers for 2026 NASCAR Cup season

On Monday, Rick Ware Racing (RWR) confirmed that they will change manufacturers, moving from Ford to Chevrolet ahead of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season.

One of the few one-car teams remaining with a charter, RWR will also form a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing and ECR engines. It is reportedly a multi-year partnership.

Ware's team finished last in points among charters teams this past year, with Cody Ware driving the No. 51 Ford Mustang to 36th in the final standings, and ending the season as one of just two full-time drivers without a single top ten (the other being Riley Herbst at 23XI Racing). Ware's best result of the year came at Atlanta, where he finished 13th.

RWR has been competing at the Cup level since 2012, utilizing both Fords and Chevrolets over the years. However, they have been with Ford since the start of the Next Gen era in 2022. The team has never won, but they have finished as high as fourth on two occasions -- the 2020 Daytona 500 with David Ragan and the 2024 Daytona summer race with Cody Ware.

With the decision to rejoin the bowtie camp, there are now 17 full-time Cup entries planning to run Chevrolets in 2026. They follow another single-car program in Haas Factory Team, which also recently switched to Chevrolet while forming a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. Ford is expected to have ten teams while Toyota will have nine next year.