Drivers Re-Up with Team after First Win and Record-Setting Season
STATESVILLE, N.C. (October 16, 2013) – Front Row Motorsports will build off another season of significant growth and new team records in 2013 — one that included the team’s first win — with the return of drivers David Ragan and David Gilliland in 2014.
David Gilliland and David Ragan celebrate after their 1-2 finish at Talladega in May.
The pair made Front Row history in May with a dramatic, last-lap dash to the checkers at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for a 1-2 Ragan-Gilliland finish and the team’s first-ever NASCAR victory. The two drivers have also combined to earn the team’s highest championship points standings in its five years of full-time Sprint Cup Series racing.
“This has been a milestone year for us, and we’re extremely happy that two of the guys who helped get us here will be back next year,” said team owner Bob Jenkins. “We’re improving our race program, attracting more sponsors, and setting and achieving higher and higher goals each year. Having David and David, our one-two punch, back in those cars next year is central to continuing our growth and improvement.”
The 2014 season will be Front Row Motorsports’ fifth year teaming with Gilliland and its third with Ragan. The 27-year-old Ragan will return to the cockpit of the No. 34 entry and the 37-year-old Gilliland will once again pilot the No. 38.
“Getting that first win for Front Row this year was huge,” said Ragan, who has two wins in his Sprint Cup Series career. “But we made a lot of other improvements that maybe didn’t get the big headlines, like qualifying better and stepping up our mile-and-a-half program, that have made a big difference in our performance every week.”
“This is definitely not the same team I came to five years ago,” said Gilliland, an eight-year Sprint Cup veteran with two career-best second-place finishes. “We’ve made big strides across the board, and I’m proud to have been a part of that progress. Now that we have almost a full year working with this Generation-6 car under our belt, I think the potential for next year is even greater for us.”
In addition to achieving new heights on track, Front Row Motorsports is also enjoying a successful season of new sponsorship partners working with the team in 2013 — relationships that are not only expected to return in 2014 but expand. The team is currently working with partner organizations to finalize those programs for next season and looks forward to announcing them in the coming weeks.
About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports fields the No. 34 of David Ragan, the No. 38 of David Gilliland and the No. 35 of Josh Wise in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. In 2012, FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., earning a rank of 800. Its partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, CSX Transportation, Love’s Travel Stops, McCall Farms, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin Johnson at rjohnson@frontrowmotorsports.com or Mike Laheta at mlaheta@frontrowmotorsports.com.
