CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Ragan visits Texas Motor Speedway on a mission to turn a good run into a good finish this weekend.
In the last two races, Ragan has lost bids to battle for victory in the late-going.
A black-flag with 60 laps left at Talladega while racing in sixth then wall contact, a spin and flat tire while running fourth at Martinsville Sunday with 65 laps to go ruined the 29-year-old Georgian’s impressive runs.
Ragan could be a dark horse pick to win in Texas where he owns a pole (2011) and two top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track near Fort Worth.
RAGAN: “We have run really well over the last few weeks and for the first two-thirds of the race we did exactly what we wanted to do. We bided our time and moved in position to be right there at the finish. At Talladega NASCAR blacked flagged us for something we didn’t think was correct and Sunday at Martinsville we were fourth but just had a series of setbacks in a short period of time. That’s part of racing. My gosh, there were a lot of people who felt they didn’t get the finish they deserve at both those tracks. We aren’t down. We are holding our heads high and we’ll close it out before the season is over. I’m confident we’ll do what we need to do.”
NOTES:
· 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.
· AARON’S: Aaron’s offers top name brands in furniture, electronics and appliances – without needing credit – with affordable monthly payments. Aaron’s makes lease ownership easy by offering customers the option to lease to own online at Aarons.com with delivery and setup – or shop at one of more than 2,000 local Aaron’s stores all across North America. Aaron’s is ready to help customers own it and will work with them every step of the way. Beginning Nov. 11, Aaron’s will offer active and reserve military members, veterans and their spouses up to $200 dollars off on any new 12-month lease agreements. Recipients will receive up to $100 dollars off their first and last lease payments plus 10% off on all new lease payments.
· 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, Nov. 6
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBCSN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
8 p.m., NCWTS Setup, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 , FS1
Saturday, Nov. 7
4 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 (re-air), FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC
12:15 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR America Live, NBCSN
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBC
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, NBC
Sunday, Nov. 8
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBC
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 , NBC
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1
