Rick Ware Pairs Young Acquisition With Championship-Winning Crew Chief as He Prepares for His Debut

Word on the street is that Rick Ware Racing has thrown Justin Haley into the driver’s seat. He’s gearing up to steer the No. 51 Ford Mustang in NASCAR’s 76th lap around the sun, kicking off on February 4, 2024. But this season, he’ll be teaming up with none other than the crew chief, Chris Lawson.

Lawson, the man behind the scenes for Front Row Motorsports and the one who steered Zane Smith to victory in the Truck Series championship, is playing a different tune this time. Sure, he’s not cut his teeth in the Cup Series yet, but he’s no stranger to the winner’s circle.

Rick Ware Racing needs the go-getter attitude of folks like Justin Haley and Chris Lawson

Just yesterday, on a typical Tuesday, RWR dropped the bombshell about Justin Haley. But the real buzz was about Chris Lawson joining the squad. He’s a big fish Rick Ware Racing has reeled in, having spent the last four seasons with Front Row Motorsports. As a crew chief, Lawson steered Zane Smith to the 2022 championship, racking up six wins in three years. Before this big reveal, his only Cup Series gig was guiding Todd Gilliland in a single race in 2023.

But Rick Ware is betting big on this duo. “Justin is an exceptionally talented racecar driver and all of us at RWR are looking forward to having him in our equipment. We’re building RWR into a competitive NASCAR team that is on par with the success we enjoyed last year in drag racing and motorcycle racing. Justin wants to win, Chris Lawson wants to win, and that’s the kind of mindset we need to elevate our NASCAR program.”

Some fans might still be on the fence, but putting Lawson in the pit box is a move that will ring a bell with many NASCAR fans. In 2023, RWR made some noise with three Top Fuel class victories in the NHRA Drag Racing Series with driver Clay Millican and bagged two wins in the Progressive American Flat Track with rider Briar Bauman.

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It looks like they’re aiming to stir up the same excitement in NASCAR. Rick Ware Racing is attempting to shake things up with this new pairing, hoping it’s a winning formula. Beyond that, while the No. 51 car’s future looks bright, there’s no complete clarity given on the No. 15’s drivers’ part.

Who’s going to be in the driver’s seat of the No. 15 Ford Mustang this year?

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Kaz Grala’s finally hitting the big time in NASCAR after years of playing hopscotch between smaller, part-time gigs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He’s set to roll out with Rick Ware Racing for the first time at the pre-season showstopper in the LA Memorial Coliseum. Three weeks later, he’ll be revving up for his first point-chasing race with the team at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But the question on everyone’s lips is: who else will take a turn at the wheel of No. 15 part-time?

2024 is shaping up to be Grala’s biggest year yet in the NASCAR Cup Series. He’s dipped his toes in these waters seven times from 2020 to 2022, with his crowning moment being a sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 for Kaulig Racing.

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Last year, Kaz Grala went full throttle in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing, nailing two top-five finishes and nine top-10s. That’s a new record for the team in a single season. It’s this knack for shining bright when it counts that’s kept Grala on the NASCAR radar, even though he’s been jumping between the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series for years.