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Cody Ware had to be replaced by Matt Crafton in the NASCAR Cup Series dirt race on Sunday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ware was out as he had to attend to a "personal matter."
Ware withdrew from the eighth race of the 2023 season. So, NASCAR was without another one of its full-time Cup Series drivers on Easter Sunday for the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Matt Crafton has won the Truck Series three times, although he has only made a few Cup Series starts. In his first Cup start since 2019, Crafton was competing as Ware's replacement. However, he was forced to retire due to an engine problem.
Crafton made his Daytona 500 debut in 2015, filling in for an injured Kyle Busch and finishing 18th. He raced again in 2019 after Matt Tifft was sidelined by medical reasons, finishing 25th at Martinsville.
Cody Ware has been charged with assault and suspended from racing
According to NASCAR authorities and the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, driver Cody Ware has been suspended indefinitely. The decision comes after he was arrested on assault and strangulation charges earlier this month in North Carolina.
The alleged violent assault was reported at 10:39 PM on Monday, April 3, at a Mooresville house, according to the incident report. Authorities claim the incident happened on April 3, but internet records show Ware wasn't taken to jail until a week later, on April 10.
Charges included assault by strangulation, causing serious harm, and assault on a female. The entire bond amount was set at $3,000. Additional information is yet to be revealed.
According to court records, the 27-year-old was booked into the Iredell County Detention Center on Monday and appeared in court.
Ware was the full-time driver of the No. 51 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series. He raced for Rick Ware Racing, his father's company. His social media sites indicated that he was not in Mooresville. NASCAR announced an indefinite ban on Monday, April 10, citing 'behavioral sections 4.4.D' as the reason.
This isn't the first time a Ware family member has faced similar allegations. Carson Reed Ware was charged with assault on a female, simple assault, and harm to personal property in October 2021. NASCAR suspended him following his arrest in 2021. NASCAR will lift Ware's penalty in June 2022.
