CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Ragan visits Martinsville Speedway this weekend with only four races remaining in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
Ragan owns a top-five and three top-10 finishes at the Virginia half-mile track.
Ragan finished fifth at Martinsville in March when he substituted for Kyle Busch driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Brett Moffitt drove Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 to a 28th-place finish that day.
Like many racers, the 29-year-old Ragan’s career began on short tracks.
DAVID RAGAN: “Martinsville is a fun track for me to go to. I grew up racing in Georgia on small flat tracks like Martinsville, so I feel right at home. It’s obviously very tough to pass so you have to get a good qualifying spot and be flawless on pit lane during the race. Martinsville races are kind of like Talladega’s where a nice calm race usually turns crazy in the closing laps with cautions. We’ve had some pretty good cars of late and I expect that again at Martinsville.”
NOTES:
· HALLOWEEN: Pictured are five-year-old David Ragan (right) and his six-year-old brother Adam enjoying Halloween at the Ragan house in Georgia.
· No. 55 CREW CHIEF BRIAN PATTIE: Brian Pattie, 40, joined MWR in 2012 when it formed the No. 15 team-leading driver Clint Bowyer to three victories and a second-place finish in the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Zephyrhills, Fla., native began crew chief duties in the XFINITY Series for Joe Nemechek’s NEMCO Motorsports in 1997 before moving to a similar role at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2004. In May 2008, he moved to the Sprint Cup Series with driver Juan Montoya. The duo earned a berth in the 2009 Chase and a win at Watkins Glen in 2010. Pattie owns four Sprint Cup and 10 XFINITY Series victories as a crew chief. The father of four is an avid golfer and supporter of the Florida State Seminoles. In June 2015, MWR paired Pattie with Ragan on its No. 55 team.
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· 55 CREW:
Brian Pattie
Crew Chief
Ryan Langley
Front Tire Changer
Chris Hall
Front Tire Carrier
Shannon Myers
Rear Tire Changer
Blake Haugland
Rear Tire Carrier
Wes Evans
Jack Man
Jeff Kerr
Gas Man
Steve Channing
Car Chief
David Cropps
Interior Mechanic
Roman Pemberton
Spotter
Brandon Pope
Engineer
Tim O’Brien
Engineer
Jeremy Sharpley
Shock Specialist
Billy Curwood
Engineer
Kevin White
Front Mechanic
Joe Zanolini
Rear Mechanic
Scott Swift
Tire Specialist
Kirk Butterfield
TRD
Tim Bruce
TRD
Stump Lewis
Truck Driver
Al Nelson
2nd Truck Driver
· CAREER STATISTICS:
MWR
DAVID RAGAN
BRIAN PATTIE
· TELEVISION
Friday, Oct. 30
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
Saturday, Oct. 31
9 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC
10 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, CNBC
1 p.m., NCWTS Setup, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200, FS1
Sunday, Nov. 1
10 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
1:15 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
