“Glad he isn’t dead holy crap”: Fans react as Cody Ware’s scary Chicago wreck comes to light

Fans have reacted to the scary wreck that ended Cody Ware’s race at the Chicago Street Circuit. Steven Taranto shared the inside of the car video of the wreck, which prompted a reaction from the social media world.

Cody Ware experienced a violent wreck late in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicago's Street Course when his brake rotor failed, sending him head-on into the tire barrier at Turn 6 at approximately 90 mph. Despite the hard crash, Ware was unharmed, and he was able to get out of the car himself. NASCAR officials were under fire after nearly 34 seconds passed between the crash and their caution flag, which allowed race leader Shane van Gisbergen to receive the white flag and finish the race under green, even though there would not be a restart.

"TNT just showed a replay of Cody Ware's Chicago crash from the onboard camera looking at Cody inside the cockpit. Look at how the steering wheel and some of the side padding moved forward upon impact," Taranto mentioned on X.

Here's how netizens reacted to the video:

"Glad he isn't dead holy crap," wrote an X user.

Another fan said:

"I just feel like we have gone in a completely wrong direction. I mean at this point thank goodness they don’t have to speed and horsepower we all want back for the other tracks. Maybe it’s mean but I feel like more people are getting injured in this car than the past cars driven or they are simply slower to get back on after a wreck. The body movement and bent steering wheel is wicked. Also not to mention no caution or the fact nascar didn’t see this is awesome not a good look."

One of the fans pointed out the HANS device, probably saving the driver's life:

"Steering wheel is designed to collapse like that. Hans Device probably saved his life along with the tire wall."

Another fan said:

"Wow! That’s incredible. That wheel folded like it was made of cardboard."

Meanwhile, one said:

"I’m no professional but I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen"

NASCAR explained the delay was due to the race control team not having direct video footage of Ware’s initial impact, which hampered their ability to assess the severity of the crash immediately.

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Cody Ware shares details of things “killed” in his car due to his impactful crash in Chicago

Cody Ware detailed the extensive damage sustained by his car and safety gear during his high-impact crash at the 2025 Chicago Street Race. The crash, caused by a brake rotor failure, sent him head-on into the tire barrier at roughly 93 mph.

Ware revealed that his helmet’s EPS foam liner was cracked, his HANS device was also cracked, and his steering wheel was bent significantly. Despite the severity of the crash and the destruction of much of the car’s interior and his gear, Ware escaped without serious injury, highlighting the effectiveness of NASCAR’s safety equipment and car construction.

"Pretty much everything from the interior of the car as well as my gear was killed in that impact. So, thankfully getting a new, a new helmet, a new Hans, there was a crack in the EPS foam inside the helmet, Hans device was cracked, steering wheel got bent up pretty good as well. So, I think it's just a testimony to all the safety people that are selling us helmets and Hanses as well as the steering wheels from Max Pappas. And then my interior guys, and all the guys that are that are building these race cars and keeping them safe," Ware told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ware praised the safety teams and manufacturers responsible for his protective gear and car components, emphasizing that their work was crucial in keeping him safe during such a violent impact.