David Ragan Talks Talladega, Darlington and Just Plain Going Nuts
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[/media-credit]David Ragan, driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, has had so much going on, from an intense run at Talladega to his upcoming race at historic Darlington, that no one would be surprised if the young driver was also going just plain nuts.
After a scorching weekend at ‘Dega, where drivers not only battled heat in the race car to heat in their engines, Ragan managed to escape relatively unscathed to score his first top ten of the 2012 season.
“That was a track that we had circled at the beginning of the season and a track that I’ve performed well as has Front Row Motorsports,” Ragan said. “At restrictor plate racing, when you run in a pack and when you can draft with other cars, it puts everyone on more of an equal playing field.”
“I felt like if we went down and didn’t make any mistakes, we would have a chance for a top-10 and that’s exactly what we did,” Ragan continued. “It was good to get a top-10 finish and hopefully we can improve on that for the rest of the year.”
Ragan certainly seems to have a knack for the superspeedways, a talent that has enabled him to keep his cool in spite of the craziness that often ensues at restrictor plate tracks.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to drive some good race cars over the years, with Ford engines and Roush prepared cars,” Ragan said. “You have to be patient and not push the issue.”
“You have to make the best decisions possible and we’ve always been able to come out of the superspeedways clean.”
Ragan recognized that some drivers were driven a bit batty by not only being back in the pack but also by trying to manage their temperature and pressure gauges.
“I think there were some issues with overheating and you just had to manage them,” Ragan said. “We were all fighting the same issues, all 43 cars.”
“It is annoying and it is frustrating,” Ragan continued. “But it’s just another element that makes NASCAR racing what it is.”
“I’m partial to the pack racing,” Ragan said. “I think it’s more fun for the fans.”
“I have an open attitude either way but I am partial to the pack racing because I’m a fan and that’s what I’d like to see.”
With the pack in back of him, Ragan is ready to tackle the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame’ this weekend.
“I think we need to finish on the lead lap,” Ragan said of his Darlington plans. “We need to race the race track and run our own race. I think a top-15 to a top-20 would be a solid day for us.”
Ragan also fully plans to let himself go just a little nuts at Darlington for the race weekend. He will have Peanut Patch Boiled Peanuts as the primary sponsor on his car for the historic Bojangles Southern 500.
“McCall Farms, with their division the Peanut Patch, is going to take a dip into the NASCAR world and be the primary sponsor on the No. 43 car,” Ragan said. “I grew up in Georgia where there were a lot of peanuts planted near the cotton. So, I’m a big boiled peanut fan.”
“They’re located right down the road from the race track,” Ragan continued. “They have a lot their employees that are going to be coming to the track.”
In addition to the peanuts, a definite concern at the race track for those who are superstitious, Ragan will also be driving a green race car, a color that again is one that is shunned by most. But neither seems to both the young driver in the least.
“I’m not a big superstitious guy but maybe if they see us in their rear view mirror in the peanut car, they’ll get out of our way,” Ragan said.
For any fans that want to join Ragan in going nuts this weekend, the Peanut Patch is running a special promotion on Front Row Motorsports Facebook page. All fans have to do is upload a video stating whey they want to “Go Nuts for David Ragan.”
“I haven’t seen any of the videos but I’ll have to check it out for sure,” Ragan said. “I don’t know who has the final say but I’m sure I can check it out and then hopefully influence whoever that’s going to be.”
Ragan is also balancing his nutty schedule on the track with his many off-track activities. The young driver is involved in everything from volunteer work with the Shriners to some old fashioned asphalt racing.
“I just completed one of the final steps in Free Masonry to become a Shriner,” Ragan said. “So, hopefully by summer we will be an official Shriner and a member of the Oasis Temple here in Charlotte.”
“We’ll also be at the Summer Shoot Out at the Shrine 100 in August.”
“We’re in the process of putting together another asphalt late model to do some racing around the southeast later in the year,” Ragan said. “I’ll drive and we run a young kid from Texas Andy Hogan and his next race is in Huntsville, Alabama next weekend.”
Ragan freely admits that his season has been a bit crazy to date. But in order to combat that, Ragan said strongly that consistency is the key.
“The season’s been OK,” Ragan said. “I’d give us a B minus.”
“We need to be more consistent,” Ragan continued. “We’ve been able to achieve some of our top 20 goals but we can certainly be more consistent.”
“And as long as we can keep getting better, that’s a good thing.”
Ragan fully intends to capitalize on his seventh place finish at Talladega with another good run at the ‘Lady in Black.’ And if he wins, Ragan predicts all kind of going nuts.
“We were all happy to get that good run at Talladega,” Ragan said. “But we need to continue to expect to get those good finishes.”
“You’ll see us get real crazy if we’re able to catch the checkered flag for one of these races.”
The Final Word – NASCAR in May, when you can watch races live and like it
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[/media-credit]There are many experts out there, some who are actually the real deal. When it comes to motorsport racing, I’m no expert but I have been a paid chronicler of events much of my life. An expert observer, one might say. There are times what I see bores the hell out of me, that causes me to hit the double time, or triple time, on my PVR. Sometimes I wish life came with a PVR. Talladega is not one of those times.
Talladega was made for television, each shot providing excitement as we view the 200 mph action, cars inches apart, disaster being averted, and sometimes not, with each lap. We saw Brad Keselowski claim another one on the big track by shaking off his pusher/pursuer Kyle Busch coming off the final turn. Busch lost momentum, Keselowski won the race.
Cars came and went, as they moved from the back of the lead pack to the front and back again. Cars a lap down came back to the lead lap to challenge once they returned. It was hot in Alabama on Sunday, and so were some of the parts under the hood as a few let go to ruin the hopes of more than a few. The cars ran fast, looked fast from our living room vantage point, and removed any confusion as to why we were sitting on the couch and those gentlemen were behind the wheel. If every race from every track could be televised to give you the same sensation, the same visual stimulation that Talladega provides, this sport would be even more popular.
Jeff Gordon would love to be in a race where he can actually finish, and finish on the lead lap, even win. On Sunday, the four time champ got caught up in a wreck, was 33rd on the day, and for the seventh time in ten tries was not a lead lap car at the end. In 1993, his first full season, Gordon finished 14th. In 2005, he was 11th. Every other year he has been in the top ten over the season after November. Today he sits 23rd, 70 points or a couple of wins out of a Chase spot. Ryan Newman is also on the outside, but he could be back with one solid weekend.
Maybe that will come in Darlington this Saturday night. The Lady in Black, the home of both the Southern 500 and the Darlington stripe. It a track that has been hosting Cup events since 1950, hosts one of the sport’s crown jewel events, and one that usually provides some entertaining action. Same can be said about Charlotte, that hosts both the all-star race and the Coca-Cola 600 later in May. I think my PVR is going to rest this month.
As for June, well, at least enjoy the upcoming week.
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: WHY SHAKE AND BAKE SHOULD PARTNER WITH NASCAR
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[/media-credit]No matter what your opinion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ race at Talladega was, at least it had an exciting finish. The move made by race winner Brad Keselowski on runner up Kyle Busch caught us all a little off guard but, make no mistake about it, it was effective.
During the final lap of a NASCAR restrictor plate race, at Talladega and Daytona, it’s preferable to actually be running in second place in order to set up a sling shot run to the checkers coming out of the speedway’s tri-oval. That’s exactly what we observed during the Talladega NASCAR Nationwide Series race when Joey Logano stole a last moment win over Kyle Busch.
On the final lap of the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup race, Keselowski was racing down the backstretch with Busch glued to his rear bumper. Going into turn three, Keselowski purposely steered his Dodge towards the high side of the turn and then slid back down in front of Busch’s Toyota. Effectively what happened here was Keselowski broke the two car tandem, and gained a lead of a few feet which was just enough to allow him to drive to the checkers without having to deal with the anticipated challenge we were all expecting. Busch was completely surprised by the move and even seemed a little confused by it after the race.
In victory lane Keselowski said the move was planned in case a two car tandem situation presented itself on the final lap. He also said that he put a lot of thought into it and even claimed that he dreamed about it. NASCAR observers immediately dubbed Keselowski’s surprise move as “the shake and bake.”
The term was very appropriate. It was used in the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballard Of Ricky Bobby” as a catch phrase for leaving the competition behind. With the #51 James Finch owned Chevrolet, driven by Kurt Busch, painted like the Ricky Bobby car, there were quite a bit of “Talladega Nights” quotes during the broadcast of this race.
To us old school fans, that would be at least 50 plus years old, the term Shake and Bake has a completely different meaning. It’s in reference to a brand of a flavored bread crumb style coating for chicken and pork. The product is applied by placing raw meat pieces in a plastic bag containing the coating then shaking the bag so the particles adhere to the meat which is then baked in an oven. Shake and Bake was first introduced in 1965 by General Foods and is currently marketed under the Kraft Foods brand.
In the 1970’s the product had a popular television commercial featuring a mom and a child shaking the plastic bag. The mom says “it’s Shake and Bake” while the child screams “and I helped.”
One can’t help but wonder if this isn’t a great time for Kraft Foods to join NASCAR’s marketing program. This is especially true in light of the fact that there are two restrictor plate races remaining on the 2012 schedule: July 7th at Daytona and October 7th at Talladega. With every team in the Sprint Cup garage witnessing the Shake and Bake move, we’re bound to see it again at both of these races.
Imagine, if you will, this possible scenario for a new Kraft Foods television commercial:
The scene opens with Brad Keselowski standing in victory lane, with a big smile on his face, while holding a chicken leg covered with Shake and Bake bread crumbs.
The confetti cannons, normally loaded with small pieces of brightly covered paper, are filled with Shake and Bake. Keselowski and his Penske Racing team are standing in victory lane completely covered in Miller Beer, Gatorade and Shake and Bake crumbs.
With a great deal of enthusiasm, Keselowski waves the chicken leg in the air and says “Shake and Bake put me in victory lane.” All of a sudden Kyle Busch steps in front of the camera and yells “and I helped.”
It could be the making of a classic television ad.
So, what would it take for Shake and Bake to become the official flavored bread crumbs of NASCAR? First off, Kraft Foods would need to purchase a brand new ball point pen because it’s going to take a lot of ink to write a check that big.
However, with the strong possibility that we may see the Shake and Bake move in at least two more, nationally televised, races this year it could turn out to be money well spent.
