Cody Ware expects to race in Talladega after suffering an ankle injury in Texas

NASCAR Cup Series driver Cody Ware said Tuesday he is expected to race at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend after sustaining an ankle injury in a brutal head-on collision at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend. Ware is awaiting final medical clearance from NASCAR after undergoing physical therapy and recovery efforts earlier this week.

Ware had been dealing with a loose race car during last weekend’s race in Texas when his car broke sideways at turn four and then shot into the outside wall, hitting her head-on at high speed. The first impact sent Ware’s car off the accelerator, which shot down the pit lane at high speed, narrowly dodging a gap in the pit wall before coming to a stop in the pits of another car.

Ware was able to climb out of his car but fell on the ground trying to get out and had to be put on a stretcher before being transported by ambulance to the care center in the field. Ware spent an extended period of time at the care center but was later released after tests showed he had not suffered a concussion or broken bones.

In a speech on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Ware praised the response from both his race team and NASCAR’s medical team before providing an update on his health.

“Right now I’m not in too much pain. I’m just trying to do some physical therapy and recover. I’m more or less just dealing with some stretched ligaments and just a lot of bruising and swelling in my foot and ankle.” Ware said. “But I’ve already had physical therapy twice and will receive final approval today to race at Talladega. And all in all, I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Subject to NASCAR approval, Ware will have an opportunity to follow on from a breakthrough performance at NASCAR’s last Superspeedway race. At Daytona in August, Ware was a factor in the lead group on the final laps, posting a career-best sixth place finish.