Carson Ware will be Barrett Cope Racing’s first driver when it arrives at Daytona International Speedway for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener, the team announced Jan. 14.
Ware will drive the No. 30, a new venture between driver/owners Stanton Barrett and Derrike Cope.
“Daytona is a special place for this team,” Ware said in a release. “I love hearing the story about Derrike Cope winning here with a relatively unknown team and driver at the time. His story embodies what this place is.
“The track every racecar driver wants an opportunity to drive is Daytona and this race weekend is as big as it gets! I know what a privilege this is and I plan on learning as much as I can to deliver a strong performance for BCR, who have put their trust in me.”
Ware is the second driver announced to BCR for 2026, following Baltazar Leguizamon.
Ware ran five O’Reilly races in 2025 with a variety of teams. His best finish, 21st, came at Talladega Superspeedway for Mike Harmon Racing.
While a Barrett-owned property did not race in O’Reilly in 2025, Cope competed in the series last year via Cope Family Racing and the No. 70.
According to the release, Ware will race for BCR throughout the season, but the rest of his schedule was not revealed.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.


