After Cody Ware’s Acquittal, a Former Rick Ware Racing Driver Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges in NC

Gray Gaulding, who races part-time in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, found himself in hot waters early Tuesday morning. The Cornelius Police Department in Mecklenburg County scooped him up, court records confirm. Even the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office website confirms the same.

According to the jail’s log, they picked up Gaulding at about 7:40 a.m. on charges related to domestic violence, but he was out by 12:35 p.m. It looks like he signed on the dotted line, promising to show up in court when it’s time.

Another [former] Rick Ware Racing driver has been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR

It’s been a rough patch for Rick Ware Racing, with two of their drivers getting into legal trouble over the past year. Last April, Cody Ware found himself in a tough spot after an April 3 scuffle led to some serious charges, including assault by strangulation. His then-girlfriend (now his ex) caught a charge for simple assault in September. NASCAR put Cody Ware on pause indefinitely right after he was charged on April 10. But in December, Cody Ware was back in the game after the assault charges got dropped because both parties chose to zip it and not work with the prosecutors.

Fast forward to now, and 26-year-old Gray Gaulding finds himself in a bind. He hasn’t hit the track in any major NASCAR race this season, but he’s got a NASCAR license that just got benched. On Wednesday evening, NASCAR announced they were suspending Gaulding indefinitely for stepping over the line with Section 4.4.D of their rule book, which deals with the Member Code of Conduct.

So far, Gray Gaulding hasn’t said a word about the whole situation. And, as things stand, there aren’t any court dates set for him, at least according to what’s up on the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s website.

Gray Gaulding’s contributions to NASCAR

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Gray Gaulding’s been around the track a few times since 2014, with 19 starts in the Trucks series, 79 in Xfinity, and a solid 60 in the Cup series. However, his career highlight was second place twice in Xfinity—at Talladega in 2019 and again at Daytona in 2020. Back in 2013, Gray Gaulding won a race in the ARCA West Series over at Phoenix. When he was just 12, he clinched a national championship driving Legends cars, and by 13, he was making history as the youngest ever to win a Super Late Model race. 

Not to mention, he was the freshest face to nab Rookie of the Year in the Pro All-Star Series (PASS). At 26, Gaulding has been around the NASCAR National Series block, racing in 158 events. Hailing from Colonial Heights, VA, Gaulding hadn’t spilled any beans about what he planned to do in the 2024 racing season before his recent run-in with the law.

Gray Gaulding was in the mix, along with two other racers, for a fan vote that would decide who got to steer the #14 SS-GreenLight Racing car at Talladega Superspeedway on April 20. But in the end, Mason Massey snagged the fan vote and the chance to pilot the Fan-Controlled Sports Chevrolet Camaro at that event.

Read More: Gaulding Reveals How He ‘Barely Passed’ the Final-Lap Wreck at Daytona for a NASCAR Career Best Second-Place Finish

In the 2023 season, Gaulding hit the track in 11 Xfinity Series races, snagging two top-10 finishes along the way. He also made a single appearance in the Cup Series at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, where he crossed the finish line in 29th place.

Not too long ago, Gaulding was seen as a rising star, especially after his time in the K&N series. He bounced around, driving for various teams in the Trucks and Cup series, and actually started to show what he was made of with some solid performances in his full-time 2019 Xfinity Series season with SS-Green Light Racing. He was all set to hit the circuit full-time in 2023, but after Daytona, he only raced once in the last 22 races.

And now, with the latest buzz, it looks like NASCAR has decided to drop the hammer on him until he gets acquitted of all the charges.