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We're just three days away from the Daytona 500 and the formal start of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series. But two drivers will have to make due with replacement crew chiefs following some NASCAR rules violations.
According to NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass, the crew chiefs for No. 34 Todd Gilliland (Chris Lawson, Front Row Motorsports) and No. 51 Cody Ware (Billy Plourde, Rick Ware Racing) have been ejected for tech violations that occurred yesterday.
Per the report, Lawson will be replaced by engineer Kevyn Rebolledo. Plourde will be replaced by Rick Ware Racing's competition director Tommy Baldwin.
"NASCAR has ejected crew chiefs for Todd Gilliland (Chris Lawson) and Cody Ware (Billy Plourde) for tech violation yesterday. Lawson replacement is engineer Kevyn Rebolledo; RWR competition director Tommy Baldwin replacing Plourde (engineer ejected Wednesday is back)," Pockrass wrote.
"NASCAR says the Gilliland and Ware crew chiefs are ejected for the entire Daytona 500 weekend for improper weight in the car," he explained in a follow-up.
NASCAR says the Gilliland and Ware crew chiefs are ejected for the entire Daytona 500 weekend for improper weight in the car. https://t.co/tP8q6RZnui
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 13, 2025
NASCAR fans aren't exactly crying a river for Gilliland or Ware though. Ware has a lot of people who deeply hate him and they let it be known in the responses to Pockrass' post:
"cody was 8 tenths behind the next slowest driver in an illegal car how is that even possible," one user mocked.
"Can we eject the felon in the 51 while we’re at it," another wrote in response.
"Cody Ware so (expletive), that they gave his crew chief a weekend off to think about his life choices," wrote a third.
Gilliland and Ware have a number of things in common. Both are the sons of former NASCAR racers and both have a little over 100 races in the NASCAR Cup Series but neither has reached the checkered flag first. They have a combined 12 top 10 finishes though.
The winner of the Daytona 500 will qualify for the NASCAR Cup playoffs and win one of the most prestigious races in American motorsports. Gilliland and Ware will have to dig extra deep to find a path to victory in this one after what NASCAR just did to their teams.
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