Cody Ware says Indy 500 'dream' discussed in IndyCar slate

Now that he (literally) is a fit in the NTT IndyCar Series, Cody Ware is exploring a partial schedule (and possibly the Indy 500) with Dale Coyne Racing while also running full time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Though his son’s ambitious IndyCar-NASCAR schedule has yet to be finalized, team owner Rick Ware confirmed Wednesday in an IndyCar-hosted Zoom news conference that Cody Ware would be part of Rick Ware Racing’s new full-season partnership with Coyne, whose team has four oval races open in a ride primarily driven by Romain Grosjean. DCR also will field a third Dallara-Honda in select events, including the Indy 500.

Asked by NBCSports.com’s Dustin Long if he had considered becoming the fifth driver to attempt the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 doubleheader (joining John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch), Ware said there were “definitely been some very brief discussions on things like that.

“Logistically, I don’t have a private plane or helicopter,” he said during a NASCAR-hosted Zoom news conference Thursday. “Money is the biggest factor on going down that road. My only options would be commercial (flights) or unless I found a sponsor to pay for a private plane or helicopter. There might be one or two IndyCar races that I partake where I have to miss out on a Cup race because I don’t have the funds of a Kurt Busch to jet set where I need. It’s just part of the struggles we have. I’ll take advantage of doing a little bit of everything and see how it plays out.”

ICYMI @RickWareRacing is excited to partner with @DaleCoyneRacing to field a full time @IndyCar entry for @RGrosjean pic.twitter.com/F6OJGOwJz1

— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) February 3, 2021

Cody Ware said he spent two weeks visiting Coyne’s shop in Plainfield, Illinois, to ensure he could fold his 6-4 frame into the cockpit (“it’s a tight fit; I don’t have as much padding as I’d like, but I feel comfortable”), perhaps for an eventual run at the Brickyard. If he were to make his Indy 500 debut, Ware said he might not be that interested in departing Indianapolis Motor Speedway so quickly.

“It would be an amazing experience,” Ware, 25, said. “The Indy 500 is something I’ve never dreamed of racing being 6-foot-4. I never thought I could sit in a single-seater car, let alone go racing. I might want to soak it in and spend time looking at the pagoda and being in Indianapolis. Because from a money and physical perspective, I never thought IndyCar would ever be on a bucket list of things I’d go racing.”

AUTO: JAN 23 Roar Before the Rolex 24 — *The No. 51 RWR-Eurasia Ligier LMP2 of Cody Ware, Salih Yoluc, Austin Dillon, and Sven Muller finished 10th in the Rolex 24 at Daytona (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).*

Ware made his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series debut with the Rolex 24 at Daytona last month, finishing 10^th overall (fourth in class) in the RWR/Eurasia LMP2 entry that included 2018 Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon (who wanted more road-course experience for his No. 3 Chevrolet in Cup).

As an amateur-rated driver in the LMP2 AM division of the Asian Le Mans Series, Ware finished first in the points standings for the four-race 2019-20 season, earning class victories in Australia and Malaysia.

He took part in an open IndyCar test two weeks ago at Sebring International Raceway that “went really well … probably the most fun I’ve had driving a race car.” Ware said he posted lap times on par with IndyCar’s 2021 rookie field (which includes Jimmie Johnson).

The team has yet to address its schedule for Ware with NTT IndyCar Series officials. Once that step is taken, the series would set up a process for Ware to be approved on road and street courses (in addition to Sebring, the series likely will have another preseason test that could allow for further evaluation).

In order to race ovals, Ware also would need to complete a speedway program starting on a smaller oval (such as Texas). To race in the Indy 500, he would need to complete IMS’ Rookie Orientation Program that is mandatory for new Indy 500 drivers.

“The big thing is everyone who knows me knows I love road racing,” Ware said of IndyCar’s appeal. “As much as I love IMSA, there are a lot of variables in co-drivers. IndyCar is me, myself and I. don’t have to worry about a co-driver wrecking a car. I do good, that’s on me. I do bad, that’s on me.”

Ware said his experience in a high-downforce prototype helped prepare him for how an IndyCar handles, and he also used his sports car knowledge to help Dillon during a session with the Dallara simulator in Indianapolis ahead of the Rolex 24.

24:00:25.244
778 laps, 35 pitstops
No powersteering
Top ten finish overall
Fourth LMP2

👏👏👏👏👏#IMSA #ROLEX24 #PoweredbyMotul pic.twitter.com/kN1DF9blGG

— Eurasia Motorsport (@eurasiaracing) January 31, 2021

“Working with Austin Dillon at the Rolex 24 was a major boost to my credibility,” Ware said. “He learned a lot from me, I learned a lot from him on the stock car side. I was able to get him running pretty awesome on the sports car side. That will help with my credibility and respect in NASCAR. People are starting to see now I have a lot more seat time, particularly on road courses, than people realize.

“It’s a time thing, have to earn respect. You can’t get on social media and just say, ‘This is what I’ve done.’ ”

Ware has 51 starts across NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and truck series with a career-high 13 races at the premier level in 2019. His best Cup finish was a 19^th in his most recent start (Oct. 4 at Talladega Superspeedway).

While the move to full-time Cup will present some schedule conflicts, Ware said the team is looking hard at the IndyCar doubleheader race weekend June 12-13 at Belle Isle Raceway. That is the weekend of the All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We might call it a wash in NASCAR,” he said. “With Texas not being a points race, I could focus on the IndyCar program and not miss a proper points race.”

Media and fan attention focused on a controversial run-in between Haiden Deegan and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Jordon Smith during Round 10 of the Monster Energy Supercross race at Detroit, after which the 250 East points’ Hunter Lawrence defends the young rider in the postrace news conference.

Deegan took the early lead in Heat 1 of the round, but the mood swiftly changed when he became embroiled in a spirited battle with teammate Smith.

On Lap 3, Smith caught Deegan with a fast pass through the whoops. Smith briefly held the lead heading into a bowl turn but Deegan had the inside line and threw a block pass. In the next few turns, the action heated up until Smith eventually ran into the back of Deegan’s Yamaha and crashed.

One of the highlights of the battle seemed to include a moment when Deegan waited on Smith in order to throw a second block pass, adding fuel to the controversy.

After his initial crash, Smith fell to seventh on the next lap. He would crash twice more during the event, ultimately finishing four laps off the pace in 20th.

The topic was inevitably part of the postrace news conference.

“It was good racing; it was fun,” Deegan said at about the 27-minute mark in the video above. “I just had some fun doing it.”

Smith had more trouble in the Last Chance Qualifier. He stalled his bike in heavy traffic, worked his way into a battle for fourth with the checkers in sight, but crashed a few yards shy of the finish line and was credited with seventh. Smith earned zero points and fell to sixth in the standings.

Lawrence defends Deegan — *Jordon Smith failed to make the Detroit Supercross Main and fell to sixth in the points. – Feld Motor Sports*

“I think he’s like fifth in points,” Deegan said. “He’s a little out of it. Beside that it was good, I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Deegan jokingly deflected an earlier question with the response that he wasn’t paying attention during the incident.

“He’s my teammate, but he’s a veteran, he’s been in this sport for a while,” Deegan said. “I was up there just battling. I want to win as much as everybody else. It doesn’t matter if it’s a heat race or a main; I just want to win. I was just trying to push that.”

As Deegan and Smith battled, Jeremy Martin took the lead. Deegan finished second in the heat and backed up his performance with a solid third-place showing in the main, which was his second podium finish in a short six-race career. Deegan’s first podium was earned at Daytona, just two rounds ago.

But as Deegan struggled to find something meaningful to say, unsurprisingly for a 17-year-old rider who was not scheduled to run the full 250 schedule this year, it was the championship leader Lawrence who came to his defense.

“I just want to point something out, which kind of amazes me,” Lawrence said during the conference. “So many of the people on social media, where everyone puts their expertise in, are saying the racing back in the ’80s, the early 90s, when me were men. They’re always talking about how gnarly it was and then anytime a block pass or something happens now, everyone cries about it.

“That’s just a little bit interesting. Pick one. You want the gnarly block passes from 10 years ago and then you get it, everyone makes a big song and dance about it.”

Pressed further, Lawrence defended not only the pass but the decision-making process that gets employed lap after lap in a Supercross race.

“It’s easy to point the finger,” Lawrence said. “We’re out there making decisions in a split millisecond. People have all month to pay their phone bill and they still can’t do that on time.

“We’re making decisions at such a fast reaction [time with] adrenaline. … I’m not just saying it for me or Haiden. I speak for all the guys. No one is perfect and we’re under a microscope out there. The media is really quick to point a finger when someone makes a mistake.”

The media is required to hold athletes accountable for their actions. They are also required to tell the complete story.

Cody Ware says Indy 500 option discussed as he aims to build credibility in multiple series

Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan after controversial block pass at Detroit

Read more about Motorsports

Read more about SuperMotocross