Cody Ware shares latest health update after horrifying crash suffered at Chicago Cup race

Cody Ware shared a comforting health update after his scary incident during the Chicago NASCAR Cup Series race. Ware thanked fans, his team, and safety crews for their support and their efforts to keep him safe after his vehicle blew a rotor, causing a scary accident.

Ware's brake rotor let go moments from the end of the event, sending the #51 Ford head-on into a tire barrier at nearly 93 mph, while exiting Turn 6 of a wildly unpredictable 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Race. The crash was so severe that Ware radioed his team, saying simply, "Need help", while still in the car with the window net up. He walked away from it with only some bumps and bruises, but that wasn't the concern for NASCAR; it was the delay of calling a caution which worried many in the days that followed.

NASCAR, in particular was blasted during the post-race coverage, of delaying an estimated 35 seconds before bringing out the caution flag after the wreck; thus allowing the race to finish under caution, after several laps without overtime restart.

On Instagram, Cody Ware shared a comforting health update, writing:

"Thank you to everyone who has reached out the last couple days and checked on me. Praise the Lord for keeping me safe during that wreck, blowing a rotor at Chicago was not a fun experience. Huge thanks to my team and all the mechanics working on these cars to keep me safe, and all of the safety equipment that I was wearing. We had a fast @arbys cheesesteak Ford all day!!! Ready to take what we learned and hit it at Sonoma."

Cody Ware is a full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series for Rick Ware Racing and drives the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Ware began his motorsport career relatively late at the age of 16 but quickly advanced through the ranks by racing in Late Models, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and made his Cup Series debut in 2017 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Ware has also competed in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series, and has two top-10 finishes to his name in the Cup Series.

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NASCAR executive on controversial Chicago ruling involving Cody Ware’s brutal crash

NASCAR faced intense scrutiny after Cody Ware’s high-speed crash in the closing laps of the Grant Park 165 at Chicago, where a brake failure sent his car hard into the tire barriers at over 90 mph. The controversy centered on NASCAR’s delayed response in throwing the caution flag, which came only after Ware dropped his window net and not immediately after the impact.

This delay allowed the race to finish under caution, preventing an overtime restart and raising concerns about driver safety and officiating standards.

Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran shared his thoughts on the matter via SiriusXM radio.

"We didn't have the actual footage of the impact of the car getting into the tyre barrier. We try to give fans as much of their time to get a green flag race. However, if we would have had the shot of Cody Ware's impact there, the caution would have come out immediately. So, that's on us, we're going to go back and review it," he said.

Moran also noted that NASCAR aims to maximize green-flag racing for fans, but safety remains the priority, and the incident has prompted a review of procedures and track camera coverage for future events.