Driver Prepares to Press Pedals ‘a Thousand Times’ at Martinsville
STATESVILLE, MARCH 25, 2014 – David Ragan, driver of the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford, comments on racing at Martinsville Speedway:
“I like Martinsville. I grew up racing Legends cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in Atlanta, even some in Texas on those flat, quarter-mile tracks. It’s fun and I enjoy it. We did a good job qualifying in the top 10 there the last time we went, so we’ll look to go back and do that again.
“It can be a very long day because you work extremely hard. You’re pressing the brake a thousand times, the gas pedal a thousand times going back and forth. Mentally, it’s tough and physically it can be a tough day. But it’s one of my favorite tracks. It’s a racer’s racetrack and it’s a great track for a fan. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
“The brake technology over the years in my career has gotten a lot better. I do remember my first couple of years going to Martinsville, the brakes were something you really had to be conscious of and really save them for the end. But now with the pads, the rotor combination, the cooling that we have, brakes are almost not an issue unless something crazy happens. You can really run as hard as you can for 500 laps and the brakes are still pretty good.”
JUST THE FACTS: Ragan has 15 Sprint Cup career starts at Martinsville Speedway … His best finish at the .526-mile oval is eighth (2011) … Ragan turned in the best qualifying effort in Front Row Motorsports team history at Martinsville in October, qualifying eighth.
Can he do it again? @DavidRagan qualified 8th at @MartinsvilleSwy in October for the best qualifying effort in @FrontRowNASCAR history.
About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a race-winning organization competing in the NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series, fielding the No. 34 of David Ragan, the No. 38 of David Gilliland and the No. 35 Ford. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list in 2012, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The team’s 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, Farm Rich, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. Visit teamfrm.com.
