CUP: Flat tire after pit stop leaves Cody Ware last in Kansas
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
SCREENSHOT: USA, NASCAR
Cody Ware picked up the 8th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway when his #51 Evel Knievel Museum Ford crashed after 52 of 273 laps.
The finish, which came in Ware’s 137th series start, was his second of the year and first since Las Vegas, 26 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 34th for the #51, the 697th from a crash, and the 765th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 48th for the #51, the 1,078th for Ford, and the 1,434th from a crash.
Cody Ware has continued to perform best on the superspeedways, taking a season-best 13th in Atlanta and a 20th in the regular season finale at Daytona, where he led a career-high 23 laps. Most other weeks, the battle has been to stay on the lead lap and climb ahead of 30th place – something he’s done in 12 of his first 30 starts this year. Despite new sponsorship from the likes of Arby’s and Costa Oil, the struggles of an underfunded team have endured. Brake failure at the end of the Chicago Street Course sent him hard into a tire barrier, resulting in a controversial no-call from NASCAR on the caution flag. He also suffered heat exhaustion during a stifling afternoon at Indianapolis.
For Kansas, Ware would run the colors of the Evel Knievel Museum – which just this year moved from Topeka to Las Vegas – for the first time since Watkins Glen. He’d also run the scheme in his most recent last-place run in March. His was one of 37 entrants for 40 available spots, and ranked 30th in practice with a speed of 31.088 seconds (173.700mph). He then qualified 34th with a speed of 31.113 seconds (173.561mph). But the car also twice failed inspection, ejecting car chief Dave Jones and resulting in a loss of pit selection. The team ended up with Stall 36, just past the first garage entrance off Turn 4.
Securing the 37th and final starting spot was Loudon race winner Ryan Blaney, whose #12 Menards / Richmond Water Heaters Ford blew a tire in practice and struck the outside wall in Turn 2, sending the team scrambling to prepare a backup car. He’d be joined by both Penske teammates, who were both docked for unapproved adjustments. Austin Cindric surrendered 26th in his #2 Discount Tire Ford while Joey Logano was already 35th in his #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford. Logano’s issue stemmed from a flat tire which caused damage to his car’s undertray and diffuser.
However, none of the Penske drivers were involved in the early last-place battle as two other drivers received heavier penalties. Michael McDowell qualified 21st in the #71 Gainbridge Chevrolet ahead of Shane Van Gisbergen, who took 24th in the #88 Red Bull Chevrolet. But McDowell’s crew was observed making unapproved adjustments to the splitter after his second run through inspection, and Van Gisbergen’s crew likewise made unapproved adjustments prior to practice. Both drivers had to start at the tail end of the field and lost pit selection, placing Van Gisbergen in Stall 34 and McDowell in Stall 35 directly in front of Ware’s Stall 36. Both had their crew chiefs ejected – Stephen Dran for Van Gisbergen and Travis Peterson for McDowell. And each would have to serve a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag.
Coming to the green flag, Van Gisbergen now trailed the outside line with McDowell last on the inside line. The outside line pulled ahead, allowing Van Gisbergen to cross the stripe in 36th, 3.392 seconds back of the lead to McDowell’s 3.553. Coming off Turn 2, McDowell fell in line behind Van Gisbergen, who was looking under J.J. Yeley’s #44 PCNY Concierge Chevrolet for 35th. Coming off Turn 4, McDowell was still in Van Gisbergen’s tire tracks as both slowed down together and pulled onto pit road, where they stopped in their adjoining stalls. Since Van Gisbergen was already pitted ahead of McDowell, they quickly got back going again. But by the time they reached pit exit, the leaders rushed past into Turn 1, putting both a lap down. The pair got up to speed on the apron and came up the track near the tail end of the field, but still in heavy traffic.
From there, McDowell and Van Gisbergen began an intense battle for the Lucky Dog as each anticipated an early caution. Coming up to speed on Lap 2, McDowell pulled to Van Gisbergen’s outside off Turn 4, but was held up by Cindric. On Lap 3, Cindric then pulled ahead into Turn 1, letting McDowell draft past and dropping Van Gisbergen to last place for the start of Lap 4. On Lap 5, Van Gisbergen looked to McDowell’s outside in Turn 3, then shot past off Turn 4, giving McDowell the last spot to start Lap 6. McDowell responded, cutting low into Turn 1, but off Turn 4 was held up by Cole Custer’s #41 Haas / Andy’s Ford. This let Van Gisbergen get past again. Undaunted, McDowell attacked Van Gisbergen again into Turn 1, and as the two crossed the stripe on Lap 8, both banged doors and McDowell pulled back in front. By the time USA’s cameras caught Van Gisbergen and McDowell’s battle on Lap 11, the #71 was running a couple carlengths ahead of the #88 in heavy traffic, including both Logano and Blaney who were trying to claw their way through the field. McDowell continued to prevail through Lap 27, when Van Gisbergen closed the advantage and looked both high and low for a way past.
By now, green flag stops were beginning, and the position swapped between several lead-lap cars lost a lap from their stops. On Lap 37, it fell to Kyle Busch in the #8, then on Lap 38 to Ty Dillon in the #10, and to Custer’s #41 on Lap 41. As Custer took the spot, Van Gisbergen passed McDowell for what was now 31st place, putting him in the Lucky Dog position. On Lap 43, Austin Dillon took the spot after pitting his #3 Chevrolet. By then, Van Gisbergen climbed to 30th with McDowell now 33rd. McDowell slipped to 36th on Lap 46, and on Lap 48, Van Gisbergen pitted out of the Lucky Dog spot, dropping him to last. That same time by, McDowell climbed to 35th after Yeley pitted his #44, dropping him to 36th. On Lap 52, McDowell finally made his first stop, dropping him a second lap down in 36th, by which point both 35th-place Yeley and 37th-place Van Gisbergen were also two laps down.
Ware made his stop on Lap 53 and returned to the track with four fresh tires. Running 35th, he was just coming up to speed down the backstretch when the right-front tire blew, sending him straight into the outside wall. Ware came down pit road under the ensuing caution, dropping him to last place on Lap 56, two laps down. The crew unbolted the right-front, whose rim had come apart from the tire, where they discovered the lower control arm was broken. Unable to get it fixed, the crew called for a tow truck. The truck arrived on Lap 58 and towed him behind the wall on Lap 59, using the next opening in front of Erik Jones’ pits at Stall 28. The truck stopped for a moment, then backed the car into a stall facing the grandstands. NASCAR declared Ware out on Lap 66, and the onboard camera was shut off on Lap 71.
Multi-car accidents filled much of the remaining Bottom Five. Taking the 36th spot was A.J. Allmendinger, whose #16 Action Industries Chevrolet was hooked in Turn 1 during a pileup on Lap 217, sending him head-on into the outside wall. Damaged in the same incident was Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., whose #47 Ram Self Storage Chevrolet was battling among the leaders early in the race, only to break at least one toe link in the Allmendinger accident. He returned to finish the race 37 laps down. Taking 34th was J.J. Yeley, whose #44 PCNY Concierge Chevrolet was four laps down when contact from Carson Hocevar sent him into the outside wall and spinning into the infield grass. Like Stenhouse, Yeley returned to finish 12 laps down. Rounding out the group was Josh Berry, whose #21 Menards Dutch Boy Ford was collected in a separate multi-car accident in the first attempt at overtime. This wreck began when contact from John Hunter Nemechek’s #42 Dollar Tree Toyota ramped Zane Smith’s #38 Speedy Cash Ford onto its side, resulting in a tumble down the banking and a 31st-place finish.
Van Gisbergen and McDowell rally from Lap 1 penalties
After a frantic battle for the win in the second and final overtime finish, the penalized Shane Van Gisbergen and Michael McDowell both recovered from two laps down on Lap 52 to finish on the lead lap in 10th and 14th, respectively. For Van Gisbergen, it was his first career Cup Series top-ten finish on an oval track. Not far behind, Todd Gilliland finished 12th in the #34 Dean’s Dip Ford, marking his best finish since an 11th at Daytona last month. Just behind Gilliland in 13th came Ty Dillon in the #10 DraftKings Chevrolet, marking his own best finish since his 8th-place showing in the July race at Atlanta.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the second last-place finish for Cody Ware in a Cup race at Kansas. The other occurred on May 11, 2019, when his #51 Jacob Companies Chevrolet finished under power, 26 laps down.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
37) #51-Cody Ware / 52 laps / crash
36) #16-A.J. Allmendinger / 216 laps / crash
35) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. / 236 laps / running
34) #44-J.J. Yeley / 261 laps / running
33) #21-Josh Berry / 266 laps / crash
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Trackhouse Racing (4)
2nd) 23XI Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, Wood Brothers Racing (3)
3rd) Garage 66, Legacy Motor Club, Penske Racing, Rick Ware Racing (2)
4th) Front Row Motorsports, Hyak Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, NY Racing Team, RFK Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Spire Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (14)
2nd) Ford (10)
3rd) Toyota (6)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
