2013 Sprint Cup Team Preview: Front Row Motorsports
Another day closer to Daytona and another Sprint Cup Series team to preview for 2013. Up on the docket today is the three car operation of Front Row Motorsports which will be fielding cars for drivers David Ragan, David Gilliland, and Josh Wise in 2013. All three drivers ran for the team in 2012
David Ragan
Ragan will return in 2013 for Front Row Motorsports, piloting the #34 Ford Fusion once again. Crew Chief Jay Guy will also return in 2013 to lead the team. Sponsorships for the #34 team have yet to be finalized, but Front Row did announce in December that McCall Farms and Peanut Patch will sponsor Ragan for 4 races in 2013. The 4 races will be Darlington in May, Bristol in August, Atlanta in September, and Charlotte in October. Ragan had this to say regarding the 2013 season: “There’s always a learning curve whenever something new is thrown into the mix, whether it’s a new driver, new crew chief, new car or new team members. We have a new Ford Fusion for 2013, which I’m really excited about, so it will be really important and really helpful that all the other variables aren’t changing. My crew chief, Jay Guy, and I built a great working relationship last year and that will help us be better this coming year.”
David Gilliland
As the most senior member of the Front Row Motorsports organization, Gilliland returns for his fourth year driving for the team. Once again, he will be driving the #38 Ford Fusion with Derrick Finley also returning as crew chief for the team. As with Ragan, sponsorships for Gilliland’s Fusions have not been finalized, but announcements are expected soon. Gilliland expressed excitement for the upcoming 2013 campaign, stating: “I’m excited to start my fourth year with Front Row Motorsports. We’ve gotten better each and every season and I’m eager to get the season going with Derrick (Finley) again. Bob Jenkins has put a lot into this team since he started with a part-time team back in ’05. He’s growing it the way he should and the results are showing.”
Josh Wise
Wise will once again run a part time campaign in the #26 Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports in 2013 with sponsorship from MDS Transport, but is expected to run more races in 2013 than he did in 2012.
Look for Ragan and Gilliland to try to improve on their 2012 seasons in 2013 and look for both drivers to run well at the restrictor plate tracks, which gave Ragan and Gilliland their best finishes
Matt Kenseth Tops Morning Practice during Daytona Testing
You can make changes, but some things remain the same. That can be said as while this is the first time at Daytona for the Generation 6 cars, defending Daytona 500 Champion Matt Kenseth topped the charts on Thursday morning with a speed of 192.757 mph. Kenseth also had the best 10 lap average.
The 2013 season marks the debut of the Generation 6 car, which is part of NASCAR’s continuing work to improve the cars. The new car is meant to be safer than the Car of Tomorrow. The other main difference is NASCAR getting back to their roots as the cars look like the cars right off the street.
Another change at the test is this marks Matt Kenseth’s second time testing a car with Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2003 Sprint Cup Champion left Roush Fenway Racing. His first test was last month when the Generation 6 car was tested for the first time at Charlotte Motor Speedway. While Kenseth moves over to Roush Fenway, that bumps Joey Logano over to Penske Racing while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. takes over Kenseth’s ride. Logano was 23rd while Stenhouse was 30th.
Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose was second on the speed charts, 0.005 seconds behind Kenseth.
Danica Patrick was third on the chart with a speed of 192.583 mph as she enters her first full Sprint Cup Series season with Stewart-Haas Racing after running the full Nationwide Series schedule last year with JR Motorsports. Patrick will have experience on her pit box in the form of Tony Gibson, who was the crew chief for Ryan Newman last year. Newman is partnered back up with Matt Borland, which Borland and Newman worked together when Newman was at Penske Racing. Newman was 14th on the speed chart.
Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Paul Menard rounded out the top five. Kenseth’s new teammate Kyle Busch was sixth, followed by Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya and Austin Dillon. Dillon will run the full Nationwide Series schedule once again in 2013, though will also make some starts in the Sprint Cup Series.
Defending series champion Brad Keselowski was 31st on the speed chart.
Testing continues Thursday afternoon and on Friday as teams will begin drafting instead of just single-car runs.
