Front Row Motorsports announced this week that David Ragan would drive the No. 34 Ford again next season. Fitting that the announcement would come heading to the track where Ragan found his way to victory lane earlier this season.
Any time teams come to Talladega the excitement level is at an all-time high. The fear of the unknown is more prominent here than at any other track on the circuit. The 2.66 mile superspeedway is commonly referred to as the “wildcard” race because anything can and seems to happen.
This moniker fits David Ragan and his Front Row Motorsports team. They are much smaller than the huge mega teams that dominate the spotlight in the Sprint Cup Series. The team is largely underfunded and piece together sponsorships in small packages in an attempt to fill the schedule.
The “wildcard”, however, is also the equalizer. It gives underfunded, smaller teams a chance. In the Aaron’s 499 this spring, Ragan found his way to the front in the closing laps with teammate, David Gilliland, in tow. Ragan talked about racing at Talladega on Friday saying, “The Talladega race is always special, I’m a NASCAR fan and at heart, I enjoy this style of racing, I enjoy coming here being part of the show.”
That is the beauty of this place – the unknown. Talladega is the only track on the schedule where literally almost every car in the field could win. Couple that fact with the two and three wide racing, ten to fifteen rows deep, and a person could not ask for more.
Additionally, there is the constant expectation of having the “big one”, that huge crash that takes out multiple cars. It provides a source of excitement that is equaled by no other track. With the large packs of cars racing so close together, one small bobble or misjudgment can have massive ramifications on, not only the race, but the championship picture.
Coming into the Camping World RV Sales 500, two drivers seemingly have a stranglehold on the points standings. Matt Kenseth leads Jimmie Johnson by four points. It is then 29 points back to third place, Kevin Harvick. Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch are 36 and 37 points back respectively. Talladega presents the perfect opportunity to allow them to catch up and turn a two man race into a five man race for the championship.
