Tuesday

David Ragan, 2009 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NSCS Race Preview

David Ragan – NSCS ADVANCE

Team: No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Chassis: RK-584 Last ran Atlanta in the fall of 2008 – finished eighth

2009 NSCS David Ragan (2) - (Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR)

“Martinsville is one of the hardest tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule. It’s a long race and it’s mentally very tough. For 500 laps you are in traffic and have to manage your temper throughout the entire race. My first couple of races there I used my car up in the early part of the race and didn’t have anything at the end. I’ve learned a lot over the years and really look forward to heading to Martinsville. The goal is to qualify well since track position is important and be there at the end. Short tracks are my favorite to race at and they also make for a great race for the fans to watch.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

“Last fall we had the fastest car on the track, but things took an unfortunate turn in practice and we had to pull out the backup car. The backup car still ran really well and we got a solid finish. Last week we tested Little Rock, which is similar to Martinsville. The test went really well and we are going to take the same geometry package we ran there to Martinsville this weekend. We should have a good run and be able to earn back some points.”

FAST FACTS

• In five Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway Ragan has finished on the lead lap all but one time. Ragan has completed 2,509 of a possible 2,510 laps at Martinsville, giving him almost a perfect 100 percent on laps completed.
• David Ragan made his Sprint Cup Series debut in 2006, competing in two races that year. The second of which came at Martinsville Speedway where Ragan finished 25^th. Ragan has four races under his belt at Martinsville since his debut, his best finish came in the spring of 2008 where he qualified fourth and finished 11^th.
• In 2006 Ragan made two starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway. His best finish came in the October event where Ragan finished 20^th.

Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release