David Ragan Set for a Milestone Year
For David Ragan, 2014 is set to be a year full of milestones, from his 100th Nationwide start to his impending fatherhood, with baby Ragan set to arrive this summer.
But as is the case for most racers, Ragan is just happy to be back at the track, even if only for some preseason testing in the Nationwide Series.
“I’m excited for the Daytona Nationwide race,” Ragan said. “I will be racing with the Biagi-DenBeste Racing team.”
“I wanted to run a few Nationwide races to get back in the rhythm of running up front and having some fun in the Nationwide Series,” Ragan continued. “It’s something that I really haven’t had an opportunity to do in the last year or so.”
“I didn’t even realize it would be my 100th start so that was kind of interesting as well,” Ragan said. “It’s something that as the years go on, you look back and say, ‘Man it did go by pretty fast.’
“But definitely the 100th start will be fun to make at Daytona, which is special to me.”
Ragan will be behind the wheel of the No. 98 Curb Records Ford for his milestone start in the DRIVE4COPD 300, scheduled for February 22nd.
“The Nationwide team has built a really nice car,” Ragan said. “We tested down in Dayton for a couple days and thought the car had a lot of speed.”
“We have won a couple of races, a few poles and I certainly want to add another notch in the win column,” Ragan continued. “That would be cool to do in your 100th milestone start.”
Another milestone that Ragan is hoping to achieve is being able to compete in even more Nationwide Series races with this Biagi-DenBeste Racing team.
“We are working hard to attract a few more sponsors to run a few more races,” Ragan said. “This is the kind of team that doesn’t run a tremendous number of races so they can do it a little cheaper than a full-time team.”
“It’s fun and a great opportunity with a Ford Mustang to get back into the Nationwide Series,” Ragan continued. “So, I’m looking forward to hopefully running a few more races with this team.”
While Ragan is looking forward to achieving more milestones at Daytona in the Nationwide Series, he acknowledges that he will have a few challenges to face getting back into that seat. And while he enjoys racing at Daytona, the track has also presented some challenges along the way.
“I enjoy plate racing,” Ragan said. “I didn’t enjoy it the first year or two but I got to learn how to do it well.”
“But Daytona has been a tough track for me,” Ragan continued. “I think I’ve wrecked the last three or four races there.”
Several of the other challenges that Ragan will face in his milestone return to the Nationwide Series is the new ‘no tandem racing’ rule, as well as all the new, fresh rookie faces in the garage area.
“I don’t think that NASCAR will even have a chance to police that no tandem rule because of the configuration of the air intake and the radiator package,” Ragan said. “It’s very similar to the Cup Series so the temperatures will be so high that you won’t be able to even attempt to tandem race.”
“It is just one of those things that NASCAR is adjusting the rules on a bit that I don’t think they’ll have an opportunity to enforce because we can police it ourselves.”
“Also, I’m trying to get to know some of the new guys out there that I’m racing with,” Ragan said. “That’s why it was important to go and do the test.
“A lot of the Nationwide guys I know and know of but I haven’t had the opportunity to race with them,” Ragan continued. “I think it’s important to get to talk to them and let them see me in the car so they recognize who is driving it.”
“That will pay big dividends when we are out there racing for sure.”
Ragan is also looking forward to achieving new milestones on the Cup side of his career, especially being back in partnership for another year with Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland.
“Front Row Motorsports has improved year in and year out since I’ve started there in 2012,” Ragan said. “We’ve got a lot of potential now.”
“Some of our primary sponsors are coming back and we’re excited about that,” Ragan continued. “We’ve worked on our car inventory this off-season and we’ve certainly improved our team.”
“We’ve got to keep working hard because as the same time we’re improving our team, the teams around us are improving theirs as well,” Ragan said. “We just have to keep our heads up and keep working hard.”
“We’re excited to get to Daytona, but really excited to get to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Bristol and see where we shake out in those first few races,” Ragan continued. “I’m looking forward to my third year and having some fun with my team.”
“And if we could slightly improve on our Cup efforts, continue to build relationships with our sponsors and it has a lot of potential to be a milestone year.”
Ragan’s final, and most important, milestone in 2014 is more personal. He and his wife Jacquelyn are expecting a new addition to the Ragan clan.
“We are also having a milestone personally as Jacquelyn, my wife, is pregnant and due in June,” Ragan said. “So, this is going to be a big year off the race track.”
“It’s going to be a fun time but a very busy time,” Ragan said. “But we’re excited and ready to get the year underway.”
Matt Crafton predicts crazy season opener due to no tandem rule
Heading into the season, NASCAR made an announcement – tandem drafting is not allowed. You will not be allowed to hook up in pairs and stay that way. Small bumps are okay but not working in tandem.
The reaction from the drivers has since been a mixed reaction. Some drivers like it as now you don’t have to rely on a partner, while others don’t like the change. One of those who is disappointed in the new rule is 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Matt Crafton.
“I think the tandem deal, you can get away from people,” he commented, adding that he predicts the racing in February will be crazy when they get 20 trucks running in a pack together.
Crafton also is worried about the art of bump drafting as it’s not as easy as it looks because you have to judge when you bump right, or else you can cause the person in front of you to get sideways.
“When you’re sitting behind somebody you’re going to hit him and you can’t really judge when you hit them because if you’re getting close to them you can’t judge when you’re getting ready to go in the corner, and if you do hit somebody it might just start turning the wheel left to go into the corner and you’re going to cause a big wreck,” Crafton continued. “I mean, there’s going to be goods and there’s going to be bads, like I said, but it will be good racing.”
In 13 starts at Daytona, Crafton has only finished in the top five once and says simply that’s because the race is a crap shoot.
” To win some of these races, you’ve got to be very, very lucky and be in the right position at the right time,” he said. “We were very close in Talladega and we’re fairly close here, but our teammates won both of them, so we should have pretty good trucks to race with. We don’t have any speed. It’s very consistent with what we’ve had in the past. We’re a little off in single runs on speed, but that don’t mean anything.”
Crafton will go into this season trying to defend his championship after a stellar year last year that saw him complete all 3391 laps of the season with 19 top 10s in the 22 races. Though there’s a new challenge as NASCAR has unveiled a new truck for the competitors to race – trying to bring the brand identification to the trucks as they have done with the other two series.
“I think it’s going to be who can get ahead of the game,” he explained. “It’s just that way every year, but now that we have the new trucks, it’s going to be‑‑ I mean, getting in the wind tunnel, going to test at places we’re going to race, and whoever can get that little step ahead, is going to be the team to beat without a doubt.”
NASCAR also announced that there will not be any single-truck qualifying this year.
“It’s going to be interesting. I mean, I think it’s actually going to‑‑ it’s going to be like bump qualifying if you want to put it. I think it’s going to be very, very cool,” Crafton commented. “I said to some of the guys on the team, they’re like, I want to see whose truck by itself is the fastest truck for two laps. I think it’s going to be very, very interesting for the fans.”
In reflecting back to growing up in California, even having the chance to come to Daytona, Crafton said he dreamed of it – but never thought it’d be a reality.
“It’s just always a hope or a prayer that you could possibly get here and be able to race here, and now that I’m doing it, it’s just a blessing to be able to do what I do and get paid to do what you love to do,” he said. “I’ve got the best job in the world.”
