Late in the NASCARCup Series race at Watkins Glen, Cody Ware wrecked. FS1 showed his car washed up off the track for a split second as Josh Berry drove away from the incident with damage to his own car. No caution was thrown.
NASCAR fans were upset at first because Fox did not show a replay of the wreck. However, the in-car cameras are always handy for these moments. Someone dug up Cody Ware's in-car footage, and the evidence is clear – that hit was hard.
Ware went spinning and his driver side slammed into the wall while he was almost going backwards. Ware hit the wall hard, spun off of it, and after a moment was able to refire the car and get going. Again, no caution. Now, fans are seeing the replay and wondering, why didn't NASCAR throw the caution?
NASCAR Cup Series driver Cody Ware (51) walks on the grid prior to the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International (2025).Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
Last year in the Chicago Street Race, Ware wrecked hard straight into a tire barrier. He was buried deep in the barrier and couldn't get going again. NASCAR waited and waited and waited, and was heavily criticized for it.
This time, Ware was able to get back going. He had to pit multiple times in the final laps to keep his car going, and eventually had to stop racing. Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen used the green flag laps to catch the leaders Ty Gibbs and Connor Zilisch. He did just that and then went on to win the race.
Had the caution come out when Ware wrecked, the race would have played out very differently. There would have been another caution, another set of pit stops, and at least one more restart. Instead, it stays green, and SVG wins by 7 seconds.
So, was this the right call? Did NASCAR miss this, or did they figure it wasn't as bad as the replay made it look? To their credit, Ware did get going again, albeit barely in a heavily damaged car. We'll see if Ware talks about this incident in the coming days to give his side of the story. NASCAR could also address the situation on this week's Hauler Talk podcast.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
