In NACAR Cup Series competition, the #51 has 714 total starts with 103 drivers, 2 wins, 4 poles, 22 top 5s, and 60 top 10s.
Cody Ware has the most starts in #51 with 92. Cody was the primary driver of the #51 for Rick Ware Racing since 2021. In 2021 he sat out 4 races and piloted the #53 car in 1 race in favor of drivers who brought sponsorship or road-course expertise to the #51. In 2022, Cody scored a career best finish of 6th at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Ware fractured his ankle during a violent wreck at Texas, and though he competed the following week in Talladega, he opted to sit out the race at the Charlotte Roval to recover.
Ware started the #51 in the first 7 races in 2023. In April 2023, Ware was arrested for a felony assault by strangulation and misdemeanor on a female. He originally missed the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol due to what was initially announced as personal reasons and was replaced by Matt Crafton, who finished 34th with engine problems. NASCAR indefinitely suspended him on April 10. A rotating cast of drivers finished out the season for RWR. The charges against Ware were dropped by prosecutors in December, upon which he was reinstated to NASCAR. His future as a driver is unknown at this time. While Justin Haley was signed as a full time driver for RWR in 2024, it has not been announced whether Haley will pilot the #51 or the teams other entry, the #15.
Prior to 2021, Ware was part of the rotating cast of drivers in the number 51 with 5 starts in 2017, 3 in 2018, and 7 in 2019.
Since 2017, Rick Ware Racing fielded car #51 car with multiple drivers. Their drivers have included B.J. McLeod (32 starts), Joey Gase (29 races), Timmy Hill (12 races), J.J. Yeley (15 races), Cole Custer (9 races), Ryan Newman (7 races), Garrett Smithley (6 races), Harrison Rhodes (5 races), Josh Bilicki (5 starts), James Davison (5 races), Todd Gilliland (4 races), Kyle Weatherman (2 races) , Ray Black Jr. (4 races), Andy Lally (2 races), Zane Smith (1 race) and many more.
In 2020, Rick Ware Racing ventured into IndyCar racing in a partnership with Dale Coyne Racing. James Davison piloted the #51 Dallara Honda to a 33rd (last) place finish after his wheel caught fire on lap 6. For 2021, the team went full time with former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean piloting the #51 car for most of the races, with Pietro Fitipaldi behind the wheel for the large oval races. The team fielded the #52 car in select races as well with Cody Ware and Ryan Norman behind the wheel.
For 2022, 2-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato piloted the #51 car. In 2023, String Ray Robb took over the #51. Ware & Coyne have not yet announced a driver lineup nor a renewal of the partnership for 2024.
Justin Allgaier drove car #51 in 75 events from 2013-2015. In 2016 Allgier moved to the XFINITY Series to drive the JRM #7 car. Clint Bowyer took over the HScott Motorsports ride, renumbered to #15.
Gober Sosebee has 56 career starts in #51 from 1950-1955, including his only 2 career wins and the only 2 wins the number has at Hayloft Speedway and Central City Speedway
In 1984 & 1985 Greg Sacks drove the #51 car, owned by his father. In 32 starts Sacks led 2 laps.
Dub Simpson drove #51 in select races from 1969-1974 for a total of 31 starts.
In 2012 Kurt Busch made a total of 29 starts for Pheonix racing.
Stan Meserve drove #51 for 28 starts in 1968.
Jeff Purvis has 25 starts in #51 from 1990-2001.
In 2011 Landon Cassill drove #51 for 21 races in James Finch’s car.
From 1962-1963 Bob Cooper made 17 starts in #51.
AJ Foyt made 16 starts in #51 from 1977-1982
Regan Smith, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Ryan Truex, Jacques Villeneuve, Brendan Gaughan, Mike Bliss, Michael McDowell, Bobby Labonte, Owen Kelly, AJ Allmendinger, David Reutimann, and Boris Said have all made at least 1 start in #51 from James Finch since 2011.
In 1994 Neil Bonnett was scheduled to compete in at least 6 races for James Finch in #51, but after a practice crash in turn 4 before the Daytona 500 Bonnett was killed. 7 years later the same turn would claim the life of his his best friend, Dale Earnhardt.
Other notable names in #51:
Stuart Kirby, 7 races.
Kevin Lepage, 5 races.
David Simko, 6 races.
Tony Raines, 4 races.
Fireball Roberts, 1 race.
Michael Waltrip , 1 race.
Speedy Thompson, 1 race.
Hut Sticklin, 1 race.
In the XFINITY Series, #51 is driven by Jeremy Clements. In 2017 Clements and his underfunded team scored a win in an exciting finish at Road America. Clements scored his second career win at Daytona in 2022.