Motorsports FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pepsi 500

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:25:00 EST

Filed under: Casey Mears, David Ragan, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Tony Stewart may be working spots for Burger King at the moment, but at the end of Sunday's race, he was making chicken salad.

"It was making chicken salad out of chicken you know what," said Stewart after finishing 5th. "We were pretty fortunate to get a couple of breaks there when we needed them."

The 'breaks' Stewart was talking about including getting back on the lead lap after falling behind thanks to a miscue on pit road. You could also toss in the fact that he kept his Chase hopes alive by not taking a finish deep in the field.

Casey Mears has had a downright awful season in 2009, but it got a little bit better on Sunday.

Mears finished 11th in his Richard Childress Racing entry and could have had a little bit more before falling back during the late restarts. It was his best finish since a sixth at Michigan in August, and it left him just one spot away from recording his fourth top-10 of the season.

Chalk David Ragan up as a guy who finished a lot better than his season has gone so far. Ragan, in the Roush-Fenway Racing No. 6, finished seventh in the 500-miler -- just one spot behind teammate Carl Edwards.

"Certainly, that's not what we want as the 6 car," said Ragan. "We're not celebrating like it's a win, but a top-10 the way our season has been is certainly refreshing.

Unbelievably, the top-10 was just the second for Ragan in 2009 with the first coming after 6th-place run at the season-opener in Daytona. Last season, Ragan brought in six top-5's and 14 top-10's.

Joey Logano nabbed an unexpected win in Saturday's Nationwide Series race, but didn't have the same luck on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.

"We made one pit stop and it went to crap," said a frank Logano. "I don't know what happened. We went junk and couldn't fix it. Eventually, we swung for the fence and it was too far, so we went to the other side of the fence and we started backing it back up from there. I don't know why we went good to complete junk like a light switch."

Logano's words echo the general description of NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow chassis for much its lifespan in the Sprint Cup Series. Simply, the handling characteristics are incredibly similar to walking on razor blades. One misstep can spell disaster.

Logano finished 14th.

David Gilliland got a first time experience Sunday when he hopped into Kyle Busch's No. 18 after Busch exited the car on lap 62 due to overwhelming flu-like symptoms. It was the first time all weekend that Gilliland had driven car, meaning it would be a tall task to get a handle on the race car in the middle of the action.

It didn't go too terribly, but didn't go great, either. Gilliland earned Busch a 24th-place finish.

"It was a little bit different. It was an experience, for sure," said Gilliland. "Without practicing it and stuff, we just never could get it right."

Gilliland had previously inked a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive a fourth car in a few remaining races this season. The first of those races will come Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte and Gilliland is a little more optimistic about running well.

"We'll be able to practice and do everything else and have a couple hours to tune the car to kind of what I need," said Gilliland. "I'm excited and looking forward to next week, especially."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think Kyle Busch was also the last driver to be a part of a relief driver scenario that saw another starter in the same race exit the race and later jump into another car.

Sunday in California, David Gilliland started in the No. 71 TRG Motorsports car which promptly exited the race on lap 13 as start-and-park. But back in 2007 at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch was involved in crash with his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team early in the event and figured the car was unrepairable. He left the track and headed home.

The team, though, fixed some damage on the car enough to get back on the track and needed a driver to earn some points. Dale Earnhardt Jr., also involved in the crash, was available and hopped in Busch's No. 5 car to make a few laps. As it turns out, it was somewhat of a foreshadow of what would happen in 2008.

Finally, I hope you missed Sunday's rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner by Jesse McCartney.

McCartney, a 22-year-old pop singer formerly of the boy band Dream Street, missed an entire verse of the National Anthem during the pre-race ceremonies.

I understand getting nervous and all, but come on. If you've been hired to sing a song that everyone knows -- get it right.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pepsi 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

David Ragan Wins as Kyle Busch Wrecks At Bristol

FanHouse Newswire — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:55:00 EST

Filed under: David Ragan, Kyle Busch, NASCAR Crashes, Nationwide Series

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- David Ragan held off teammate Carl Edwards on a two-lap sprint to the finish Friday night to win the Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Edwards settled for second, but shaved 91 points off the commanding lead Kyle Busch brought into the race. Busch, who started the night with a 339-point lead over Edwards, was wrecked by Chase Austin while leading early in the race and finished 28th.

Edwards now trails him by 248 points, and wasn't disappointed to lose to his Roush Fenway Racing teammate.

"We didn't come here to finish second, but he's a great guy, a great teammate," Edwards said. "If you guys don't have a David Ragan hat or T-shirt, you need to go get one. There's no better guy out there."

Brad Keselowski finished third by overcoming his own early accident.

Amid mounting speculation he'll leave Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide team next season to drive in the Sprint Cup Series for Roger Penske, Keselowski coincidentally ran into Penske driver Justin Allgaier.

"Just 100 percent my fault," said Keselowski, who declined to comment on his 2010 plans. "I was racing hard. I guess I was racing a little bit too hard."

Austin, in just the fourth Nationwide race of his career, could relate.

The 19-year-old was a lap down when Busch passed Kevin Harvick for the lead. As Busch and Harvick rounded Turn 4, Austin inexplicably cut down the track and directly into Busch.

Replays showed his hand was out the window motioning his intent to move down the track, but he never knew the traffic was on his inside. He was radioing his team to inform them of a tire problem at the exact time his spotter tried to tell him about Busch and Harvick.

"I heard a lot of fans were happy about it - that's how I knew it was Kyle," Austin said of the crowd's positive reaction to Busch wrecking.

Busch needed a few minutes to compose himself inside his team truck, but seemed sympathetic to Austin's error when he finally emerged.

"Real unfortunate that it happened," Busch said. "I've made mistakes too. Chase, I guess, didn't have the spotter telling him the leaders were bearing down. It stinks."

The bizarre accident allowed Edwards to climb back into the championship race, but he said a Busch wreck wasn't how he wanted to chip away at the points lead.

"That was some raw excitement," Edwards said. "That was unexpected. We made up some points, but that's not the way we want to do it."

Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.

It was only the second NASCAR victory for Ragan, who also won the Nationwide race at Talladega in April. He was thrilled to run up front at Bristol, where he'd never finished higher than eighth in five previous starts.

"We're usually just mediocre here," he admitted.

He had a decent lead over Edwards until debris on the track brought out the eighth caution of the race with eight laps remaining. He selected the outside for the double-file restart, then had to nervously circle around the track as NASCAR waved off the green flag each time Ragan thought the racing was about to resume.

"I felt like a field goal kicker, they kept calling timeouts," Ragan said. "One to go, call it off. One to go, call it off"

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

David Ragan Wins as Kyle Busch Wrecks At Bristol originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

David Ragan Claims 1st NASCAR Win

Holly Cain — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:39:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Ryan Newman, Nationwide Series

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- After competing in nearly 200 races in NASCAR's three marquee series, David Ragan picked up his first victory in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway besting, among others, restrictor plate expert Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Ragan positioned his No. 6 Discount Tire Ford just behind the lead pack cars of Ryan Newman, Earnhardt and veteran Tony Raines in the final laps. And when the typical Talladega last lap scramble broke out, Ragan slipped by for the checkered flag about six feet in front of Newman. Joey Logano, Raines and Earnhardt rounded out the top 5.

As Ragan made his maiden trip to Victory Lane, most drivers -- including Earnhardt and Newman -- stepped out onto pit to congratulate the 23-year-old.

"It feels good," Ragan said, adding with a laugh, "but I guess I don't have anything to compare it with.

"It feels good to make a last lap pass like that, something you grew up watching on television.

Arguably, the last lap wasn't even Ragan's most eventful moment of the afternoon.

He overcame a one-lap penalty for speeding on pit road. And then he triggered an accident on lap 104 of the 120-lap race that sent his Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth's Ford barrel-rolling down the track.

While racing in a tightly-bunched pack, Ragan hit Kenseth's car from behind causing it to flip twice and roll along the track apron with flames blazing out of the roof. Kenseth was fine, however, amazingly climbing right out after the badly-damaged car came to rest right-side up.

Latest NASCAR Images

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: Ryan Newman, driver of the #33 Rheem Chevrolet, leads the pack during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan Newman

Getty Images

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the Z-Line Designs Toyota, leads the pack during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

Getty Images

Matt Kenseth runs from his burning race car after crashing during the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. on Saturday, April 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeff Vest)

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: A pack of cars race through the tri-oval during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images for NASCAR

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: David Ragan, driver of the #6 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** David Ragan

Getty Images for NASCAR

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: Brad Keselowski driver of the #88 Klondike Chevrolet makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Brad Keselowski

Getty Images for NASCAR

He was frustrated, but not angry at his young teammate, who quickly sent apologies to the team.

"I hated to see that," Ragan said. "It was one of those things that can happen when you're racing hard with your teammate. And anytime we tear up a car, it's tough for the whole organization. We're pulling for the 16-team too."

And after checking on Kenseth in the infield medical center, Roush gave the former Cup champ the crumpled car as a souvenir.

Ragan's victory was the eighth by a Sprint Cup driver in eight Nationwide races this season.

"Bottom line, he was in the right position at the right time," runner-up Newman said of Ragan. "You want to get your first win in style. He won it in fashion. He earned it."

David Ragan Claims 1st NASCAR Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

'08 Rear-View Mirror: David Ragan

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:01:00 EST

Filed under: David Ragan, Roush Fenway Racing, Sprint Cup

Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: David Ragan
Team: No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
'08 Final Standing: 13th (-2385)
Best Race: New Hampshire (4th-place)
Worst Race: Kansas & Phoenix (43rd-place)

Season in a box: Ragan's biggest impact on the Sprint Cup Series came after his first race at Martinsville when Tony Stewart deemed the then-rookie a "dart without feathers." After 2008, though, Ragan has gained quite a bit more respect from the entire series.

Ragan started the season in an ugly fashion with a wreck that took out teammate Matt Kenseth at the Daytona 500 to find the driver from Unadilla, Ga., (go ahead, say it. U-NA-DILL-UH) with a 42nd-place finish in the season's first race. Fortunately, such mistakes weren't typical of Ragan's season.

Ragan picked up an impressive 6 Top-5 finishes and 14 Top-10s over the 36-race schedule, with his best finish of 3rd at Michigan and Talladega. Over the course of the last 8 races after narrowly missing out on an improbable run to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Ragan reeled off 7 Top-15 finishes and had a lowest finish of 24th in the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Through the crystal windshield: Looking ahead to 2009, the future really couldn't be brighter for Ragan.

He truly finished 2008 in a fashion that at least met the expectations of car owner Jack Roush, and for everyone else in the garage area, far exceeded them. His No. 6 car has been close to victory lane, and more importantly, Ragan has shown he's about as cool as them under pressure and that he has the consistency to make a worthwhile run in NASCAR.

Ragan has shown a lot talent quite quickly in NASCAR, and after his 2008 campaign, I see Ragan being a Chase contender in 2009.

Next up: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

'08 Rear-View Mirror: David Ragan originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Roush Fenway Racing Extends Matt Kenseth, Appears to Leave Out Jamie McMurray

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:26:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing, NASCAR Silly Season, Sprint Cup

Matt Kenseth's contract at Roush Fenway Racing got extended Thursday afternoon and that was seemingly bad news for his teammate Jamie McMurray.

Kenseth got a new "multi-year dear" from RFR to keep him as the driver of the No. 17 Ford for well past 2010, when his current contract was set to expire. Terms weren't disclosed by the team, but I'd imagine the contract puts Kenseth in a position to make RFR his final place of stock car employment with either a heavily extended contract from his current one or one loaded with options.

Kenseth, a native of Cambridge, Wisc., turns 37 in March.

For teammate McMurray -- who's been nothing short of a disappointment during his time at RFR but showed some flashes of brilliance towards the end of the 2008 -- Kenseth's re-signing might be a nail in the coffin for his future at RFR.

NASCAR has mandated that by 2010, all Sprint Cup teams must have no more than four drivers in a stable. RFR currently has five.

The RFR other drivers, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan, all seem to have the cards stacked in their favor for 2009 and beyond.

Biffle, who had some questions during the early part of 2008 after several part failures and other team problems kept him from winning races, re-signed with RFR in July to a contract throught 2011. Edwards obviously isn't going anywhere with his near-championship run in 2008 and has a contract through 2011 and Ragan hasn't officially inked a contract to the best of my knowledge for 2009 but he has a "multi-year" deal with sponsor UPS starting next season.

So, Biffle plus Edwards plus Kenseth plus Ragan equals four drivers locked in at RFR for well past the 2010 NASCAR cutoff deadline, and seems to leave McMurray without a RFR-associated ride in 2010 once his current contract runs out.

An option appears to be at Jack Roush's disposal, however, if he decides to keep McMurray around after 2009 -- especially if the Jopin, Mo., driver can pile together a season-full of finishes like he had to close out the 2008 season. Roush has a significant alliance with Yates Racing, and if needbe, I can certainly see McMurray's services getting transferred to the satellite operation.

Roush Fenway Racing Extends Matt Kenseth, Appears to Leave Out Jamie McMurray originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

David Ragan: NASCAR's Newest UPS Man

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:07:00 EST

Filed under: David Ragan, Roush Fenway Racing, Sprint Cup

David Ragan is ready to drive the truck.

Or, he's at least ready to drive the colors of the truck.

Roush Fenway Racing & UPS announced on Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that Ragan would sport the brown and white colors of UPS on his No. 6 Ford starting in 2009 as the sponsor makes it's second high-profile move in three years.
Currently sponsoring Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann, UPS jumped ship to MWR in 2007 to follow long-time personality Dale Jarrett as he moved to organization from Robert Yates Racing. The move especially leaves Reutimann -- who has shown some incredible flashes of brilliance on-track in the past two races -- and MWR with a huge void to fill in 2009 to keep the No. 44 Toyota on the track.

But for Ragan, the news is especially good and comes likely as somewhat of a reward for his leap in driver development so far in 2008. Ragan, a second-year driver from Unadilla, Ga., narrowly missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup despite racking up five Top-5's and 9 Top-10's in '08.

To me, Ragan has been one of the season's best stories, and to see a guy who came into the sport and struggle a little bit and finally get his footing is a throwback to NASCAR of old when drivers weren't always given a silver platter. Obviously, Ragan got his start with Roush Fenway Racing, but he's been able to manage that resource and show sizable improvement unlike many new drivers in the sport.

UPS is making a good decision to go with Ragan because he's going to pan out very positively for the company as a great spokesman and role model that has staying power in NASCAR.

David Ragan: NASCAR's Newest UPS Man originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ragan Quietly Making Charge for Chase

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:55:00 EST

Filed under: David Ragan, Roush Fenway Racing, Sprint Cup

David Ragan is 46 points away from making the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Let me say that again: David Ragan is 46 points away from the making the Chase for the Sprint Cup!

Yes, the driver with one of the coolest hometowns (Unadilla, Georgia -- it just rolls off the tongue) in all the NASCAR racing that got less than a ringing endorsement from Tony Stewart when he entered the Sprint Cup Series in 2006 ("a dart without feathers" according to Smoke) is very quietly making a name for himself in the Sprint Cup garage.

In the past four races, the driver of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford has a worst finish of 14th at Indianapolis with three Top-10s, including two 5th-place finishes at Daytona and at Pocono last Sunday.

A finish of 40th at New Hampshire wasn't indicative of how well he ran there, as it was instead the result of teammate Jamie McMurray failing to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. which lead to a chain reaction crash that took out Ragan.

Most importantly, though, is that Ragan has established himself as a major player for one of the final Chase spots with just a handful of races left until the cutoff at Richmond. Ragan, as stated above, is just 46 points away from the cutoff spot of 12th, and just 35 points behind teammate Matt Kenseth in 13th.

Needless to say, it's an improvement over last season that saw Ragan finish 23rd in the point standings with just two Top-5's, three Top-10's, and 4 DNF's. Already in 2008, Ragan has doubled the Top-5 count and added 7 Top-10 finishes.

His best finish of the season came at Talladega in April with a 4th-place run.

In the next few weeks counting down to the Chase cut off, Ragan will head to some of the tracks that he hasn't finished the best at already in 2008, but if Pocono is any indication of him improving on the season's second visit to a track, then Ragan definitely looks to be a solid contender to make a late entrance into the Chase.

It's been a great season so far for the second-year driver, and while I know he won't be a major player in deciding the Sprint Cup championship even if he makes the Chase, the 22-year-old Ragan could easily pick up a win or two to close out 2008, and will look to run even stronger in 2009.

Ragan Quietly Making Charge for Chase originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Video: Wild Finish of the Coke Zero 400

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Carl Edwards, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Kyle Busch, David Ragan

Miss the race? Wanna re-live the green-white-checkered finish? Here's your chance, thanks to Youtube.

Watch below for the Jeff Gordon-spinning, David Ragan-near-wrecking, Michael Waltrip-wall-banging, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch side-by-side finishing awesomeness that was the end of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in all of its glory from the live TNT broadcast.

The fun starts below as the field takes the final green flag of the race:

Gordon gets the on-track fireworks show started by getting turned around by Carl Edwards while riding in second place after the leaders exited the tri-oval under the green flag. Gordon took blame for the incident, though it left him with a disappointing 30th-place finish.

Edwards managed to get a run on Busch heading down the backstretch thanks to a push from teammate Matt Kenseth. As the field rounded turn four and headed for the white flag, Edwards and Busch were side-by-side as the field tried to wreck multiple times behind them.

David Ragan in the No. 6 and Clint Bowyer in the No. 07 were both nearly looking out the right side window at points as the field came out of the tri-oval but unbelievably kept from wrecking.

Finally, Michael Waltrip got turned into the turn one wall after Travis Kvapil slid down in to Dave Blaney, igniting a multi-car crash that finally brought out the race-ending caution, and after NASCAR reviewed replays, Kyle Busch was declared the winner.

Whew. What a finish, eh?

Video: Wild Finish of the Coke Zero 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

10 To Go: The Sprint Cup Chase Bubblers

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, David Ragan, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

With 10 races now left to go until the Chase for the Championship begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, FanHouse is looking at who's riding the bubble of making into the 10-race championship playoff run.

13th - Kevin Harvick (-2 points): Harvick fell out of the Top-12 in points after dive-bombing Tony Stewart last Sunday at Infineon Raceway during the closing laps of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The move sent Stewart, Harvick, and two others spinning and relished Harvick to a 30th-place finish.

The finish knocked Harvick down three spots in the Chase ladder while putting Matt Kenseth in to the Top-12. Harvick is in great position to still get back into the Chase in the next ten races though its not a guarantee.

14th - David Ragan (-47 points): The Roush-Fenway Racing driver is in the midst of his second season in the Sprint Cup Series and has truly amassed a season that is much improved from his finishes in 2007.

Ragan could very easily be the one driver who is a big shock in the Chase if a driver in the lower half of the Top-12 puts a string of mediocre finishes together. A big help to Ragan will be second visits to Daytona, Michigan, Pocono, and Richmond between now and the cut off after Richmond in September.

15th - Brian Vickers (-104 points): 104 points is all that separates Brian Vickers and his chance to put his Red Bull Toyota into the Chase for the Championship. A number like that is a prime example of how Vickers' performance can be measured simply by numbers.

At this point one year ago, Vickers found himself missing races and nearly one thousand points out of making the Top-12. Vickers has had a race car to win at both Charlotte and Michigan this year and if you're looking for a dark horse favorite to shock your friends with, Vickers is it.

16th - Ryan Newman (-105 points): Ryan Newman hasn't exactly run away with the NASCAR world since winning the Daytona 500 back in February. In fact, the performance from the Penske Racing stable -- including teammate Kurt Busch -- hasn't been too impressive.

Newman has been far better than Busch, but has only racked up two Top-5s and six Top-10s. That type of performance though, isn't going to get the No. 12 into the Chase.

10 To Go: The Sprint Cup Chase Bubblers originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Rain Gives Bowyer Bristol Nationwide Race

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch, David Ragan, Denny Hamlin, Nationwide Series

Clint Bowyer took home his first Nationwide Series victory of the 2008 season Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway thanks to a persistent rain shower.

Saturday's 300-lapper started nearly two hours later after thunderstorms rumbled through the Tri-Cities of northeastern Tennessee just following Sprint Cup Series final practice. The race finally got underway just past 4:30pm/ET.

171 laps -- 21 past halfway -- were completed before more rain drenched the track. NASCAR wanted to restart the event, but the rain showers wouldn't stop.

The victory was Bowyer's sixth-career Nationwide Series win.

Kasey Kahne was visibly upset when the rain brought the cars to pit road on lap 171 saying that he "pretty much blew that." Kahne had been all over the rear bumper of Bowyer's No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for many laps, but wanted to make the pass clean.

Denny Hamlin led early until a flat-tire forced him to pit road on lap 37 and Martin Truex Jr. got tapped by David Ragan off of turn 2, spun into turn 3, and was clipped by Kyle Busch very early in the event. Both Truex and Busch were knocked out of the race.

And yes, there apparently were some Nationwide Series regulars in the event, with Brad Keselowski finishing 4th.

Thankfully, NASCAR was able to get a majority of its schedule completed Saturday afternoon despite the heavy threat of rain. The forecast for Sunday's Food City 500 looks sunny and clear.

Rain Gives Bowyer Bristol Nationwide Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
David Ragan, No. 6 Roush-Fenway Ford

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Roush Fenway Racing, David Ragan, Sprint Cup

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day until the end of 2007 as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 23rd-place David Ragan.

Driver: David Ragan -- Unadilla, Georgia
Team: No. 6 AAA Ford
Points: 23rd (-3472)
2006: Rookie in 2007
Key Stats: 3 Top-10s, 2 Top-5s
Back in 2008?: Yes, same team

For his first year in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, David Ragan faced a rookie-of-the-year contender in Juan Pablo Montoya that arguably has more racing talent than several competitors that have been around the sport for years. That said, Ragan set the stage for a 2008 campaign by only losing the Cup rookie title by a slim 24 points.

He wound up capturing the Busch Series rookie crown.

Ragan's best finishes of 2007 included a 5th-place finish at the Daytona 500 and 3rd at Richmond in the fall. During the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte over Memorial Day weekend, Ragan had arguably one of his best chances to win. Teammate Carl Edwards blew a tire heading to turn 3, didn't slow down fast enough, spun, and took out Ragan while running in the Top-5.

Ragan definitely has learned plenty over the season that he can apply to 2008 -- a year that will see expectations for Ragan as a Roush-Fenway driver dramatically increase.

"This Cup racing, just being fast is about half of it. You've got to learn how to race them and you've got to learn how to be fast on restarts for the long run [...]," said Ragain. "We can always be better. There are still some things to work on where I need to be better, but that's gonna be the difference between finishing 20th every week and 10th every week."

Ragan didn't make the most popular of lists after at least one race in 2007. At Bristol in the spring, he spun to bring out 3 separate cautions.

If Roush-Fenway can gain a hold on the set-up next-generation race car as Matt Kenseth showed in the season-finale in 2007, look for Ragan to be a figure in the Top-10 in several races -- especially at 1.5 mile tracks.

Previously on the NASCAR FanHouse Top-25 Year-in-Review
24th -- David Stremme (No. 40 Ganassi Dodge)
25th -- Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Gillette-Evernham Dodge)

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
David Ragan, No. 6 Roush-Fenway Ford originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Blaney Can't Finish and Other Regurgitations

tallglassofmilk — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:49:00 EST

Filed under: Juan Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Dave Blaney, David Ragan

Blaney Confused, But We Know
Dave Blaney can't believe his team is still struggling for a spot in the top 35:

"Honestly, with 10 races left, I can't believe we're sitting here fighting for a spot in the top 35 because this Caterpillar team has run so much better than that so many times. Tommy has done a great job of bringing good cars to the track every week, but we've just had so many problems either finishing races at all or finishing them in one piece."

Um .. yeah. I think that's what I said. I'll be rooting for Ken Schrader this weekend.

Ragan 14, Montoya 11
I meant to include Lead Lap Finishes in my rookie chart the other day, but forgot. I was reminded today when I read The Juan Pablo "Crash" Montoya Running Incident Report on The Black Flag Blog.

He gets what in his contract?
The Nemechek//Marlin suits against Ginn/DEI provide a rare inside glimpse into the structure of drivers' contracts.

DEI Engines Blow
Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't the only one who gets bad engines at DEI. Martin Truex Jr. blew one in testing at Talladega on Monday ... and another last month at Iowa. Those are the engines they give Junior on race day.

Blaney Can't Finish and Other Regurgitations originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

2007 ROTY Contenders a Narrow Field

tallglassofmilk — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:05:00 EST

Filed under: Juan Montoya, Nextel Cup, David Ragan

Remember the beginning of the season when there were five contenders for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award?

#42 Juan Pablo Montoya
#6 David Ragan
#15 Paul Menard
#00 David Reutimann
#84 A.J. Allmendinger

Yeah ... me neither. With 10 races to go, only two remain in contention for 2007 season rookie honors: the most-talked about rookie, former F1 winner JPM, and former Roush development driver Ragan. Between the two of them, they've scored the top rookie honors in 22 of 26 races.

On the surface, it appears that Montoya has turned out better performances:

Montoya: 1 win, 3 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s
Ragan: 0 wins, 2 Top 5s, 2 Tops 10s

But heading to New Hampshire, Montoya and Ragan are running fairly head-to-head.

Montoya		Ragan
Points Standings	20th 2,479	Points Standings	21st 2,431
Best start	2nd (Indy, Bristol)	Best start	3rd (Richmond)
Poles	0	Poles	0
Best finish	1st (Infineon)	Best finish	3rd (Richmond)
Wins	1	Wins	0
Top 5s	3	Top 5s	2
Top 10s	4	Top 10s	2
Laps led	7	Laps led	1
Top Rookie Honors	11 races	Top Rookie Honors	11 Races
Earnings	$3,642,314	Earnings	$3,558,455
Rookie Points	218	Rookie Points	204

(More: rookie scoring.)

Montoya certainly has a more aggressive style vs. Ragan and has definitely made an impression in the series, especially with a win in Sonoma. But despite more than his fair share of spins ala J.J. Yeley, I much prefer Ragan's patient approach and humble attitude. DR gets my vote for personal appearance and relationship with the media, too. My vote for 2007 ROTY still goes to Ragan.

As for the rest of the rookie class, I'll get back to ya when one of 'em cracks the top 10.

2007 ROTY Contenders a Narrow Field originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Drivers Rock Their Bests at Richmond

tallglassofmilk — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:27:00 EST

Filed under: Nextel Cup, David Ragan, David Reutimann

Amidst all the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chase hoopla last night, there was an exciting race going on at Richmond International Raceway--several drivers performed for the record book.

Rookie David Ragan rather enjoyed himself racing side-by-side out front with the big dogs last night, finishing between Cup champions Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon in the third position, a career-best.

"It was just a good, solid night. It takes a lot more than just a fast race car to finish well in the Nextel Cup races. We've learned that first-hand, so to be able to have good pit stops, we were pretty good on restarts and good on the long runs. We got shuffled back to like 20th one time and were able to drive our way back up to the front, so it was just a lot of fun. I certainly enjoyed it. Our car was pretty good all night and pretty good all weekend, so we had a lot of fun. It was certainly deserving for the team and all just to have a good night."

Johnny Sauter also brought home a career-best finish--his first top 5. For David Reutimann, a career-best of 13th.

Jeff Gordon led the most laps with 191 for a season best. Kyle Petty also had a season-best with two laps led.

The most wins Jimmie Johnson has had at this point in the season is four (2004)--he won eight total that year. He's currently at six and counting ...

Drivers Rock Their Bests at Richmond originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Kahne, Montoya Start Out Front at Bristol

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Juan Montoya, Bristol Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup, Dave Blaney, Ward Burton, David Ragan, Gillette-Evernham Motorsports, Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR Tracks, Chase for the Sprint Cup

I don't think I could ever pick Kasey Kahne to win at Bristol after seeing him crash out of his first Nextel Cup race at the track during his rookie season. Needless to say, Kahne was so shook up from the experience that he was literally shaking on camera.

Friday night, though, he apparently found a good way to calm down.

Kahne won the pole for Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway with a lap of 16.016 seconds, or 119.805 mph.

Juan Pablo Montoya will line up on his outside with Jamie McMurray, David Ragan and Dave Blaney rounding out the top-5. Virginia-native Ward Burton dropped a nice lap and will start 14th.

Bristol just got a facelift over the summer with a brand-new concrete repaving job, and it really set back the lap times at the track. Jeff Gordon won the pole at BMS in April with a lap 125.453 mph in the first Car of Tomorrow race, obviously much quicker than Kahne's lap.

Slower speeds, though, could add up to better race Saturday night with more side-by-side racing because cars are more even.

As if Bristol really needs to get any better though.

Kahne, Montoya Start Out Front at Bristol originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Lowe's Testing Produces Good Call

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:42:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr., Crew Chiefs, Lowes Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup, Pit Crews, David Ragan, Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR Tracks

NASCAR, Goodyear: It's about time.

Following testing earlier this week in toasty Carolina sun, Goodyear has said that a softer tire compound may make an appearance for the fall Nextel Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, and David Ragan were the four drivers allowed for the tire test in the heat of the day.

Truex found the air temperature over 100 degrees and the cockpit temperature at over 140 degrees to be pretty difficult.

When asked about the hottest he's ever been in a race car, Truex Jr. responded,

"Probably today. I guess it's because the car is not set up to race and doesn't have all the heat shields and the insulation in it. Fifteen laps feel like 800 miles to me."

Luckily, the fall race won't likely be in the same heat as the Charlotte-region can cool tremendously at nighttime in the fall.
Goodyear and NASCAR have taken quite a bit of flack in recent years for their choice of the tire to be used at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Some drivers love the durability, but others complain that the tire is very unforgiving and nearly like driving on ice when new.

Testing in the heat may be a godsend in that the tires will wear much faster on a hot, slippery race track than a cool evening in October.

Three lead changes in the Nextel All-Star Challenge proved that the compound wasn't exactly working.

Lowe's Testing Produces Good Call originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

LMS Might Finally Get Some New Tread

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:40:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Roush Fenway Racing, Penske Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Gossip, Nextel Cup, David Ragan, Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR Tracks, Chase for the Sprint Cup

NASCAR and Goodyear will conduct a tire test Monday and Tuesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway with Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr., David Ragan, and Brian Vickers.

Finally, it seems, the sanctioning body is stepping up to the plate to find a better tire than the current rocks used there.

If all goes well with each manufacturer at the test, NASCAR will have a new compound available for the fall race at Lowe's during the midst of the Chase.

Remember May's activities at Charlotte?

Drivers complained heavily that the tires featured were nothing but ice because they offered so little grip. Numerous cars plowed the walls during qualifying and missing the corner entry by feet would be an immediate wall impact.

The Nextel All-Star Challenge featured an astounding zero lead changes during green flag racing three total during the segments on what is supposed to be NASCAR's most impressive night.

While better late than never, NASCAR still really missed the ball because next year's Coca-Cola 600 will feature the Car of Tomorrow and a completely different compound.

HT: Jayski

LMS Might Finally Get Some New Tread originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Motorsports FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pepsi 500

David Ragan Wins as Kyle Busch Wrecks At Bristol

David Ragan Claims 1st NASCAR Win

Latest NASCAR Images

'08 Rear-View Mirror: David Ragan

Roush Fenway Racing Extends Matt Kenseth, Appears to Leave Out Jamie McMurray

David Ragan: NASCAR's Newest UPS Man

Ragan Quietly Making Charge for Chase

Video: Wild Finish of the Coke Zero 400

10 To Go: The Sprint Cup Chase Bubblers

Rain Gives Bowyer Bristol Nationwide Race

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:David Ragan, No. 6 Roush-Fenway Ford

Blaney Can't Finish and Other Regurgitations

2007 ROTY Contenders a Narrow Field

Drivers Rock Their Bests at Richmond

Kahne, Montoya Start Out Front at Bristol

Lowe's Testing Produces Good Call

LMS Might Finally Get Some New Tread

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
David Ragan, No. 6 Roush-Fenway Ford