(workingonmyredneck file photo)
If it is the Fourth of July weekend, then NASCAR must be racing at “The World’s Center of Racing”, Daytona International Speedway. On Saturday night David Ragan was fast, he was furious, and he finally broke through the barrier to won his very first Sprint Cup race for Roush-Fenway Racing.
After “wiffing” in this year’s Dayton 500 in February, Ragan was leading the race on one of the final “green-white-checkers” restart, when he crossed into another lane of cars before the start/finish line, thereby getting black flagged. The effects of the black flag caused him to be put at the end of the longest line, and consequently the nets results was losing the Daytona 500 from an inadvertent error of judgement. However, on Saturday night race the driver of the Roush-Fenway #6 UPS Ford redeemed himself!
The victory in the Coke Zero 400 was the first victory of the season, as well as the first victory for Ragan in his Sprint Cup career. This victory couldn’t have came at more crucial time in Ragan’s Sprint Cup career. Up until Saturday night Ragan was batting a blistering 0 fer 162! The young man who Roush thought had all this potential as a Sprint Cup driver, was starting to look like a flower who wasn’t going to bloom. The garage rumor mill had started to swirl about Ragan’s future with the Roush-Fenway Racing organization. But is one victory enough to silence that rumor mill?
With the Coke Zero 400 victory under his belt, and his present position in the standings, David Ragan is posed to be #12 seed wild card entry in the Chase. However, there are now nine more races before the seeding for the Chase is announced after the Richmond race, and as we all are well aware of, racing happens!
As far as the overall evaluation of the Coke Zero 400, the drivers were well mannered until the very end. “The Big One” was a phantom for 157 of the 160 lap race. However, there was a wreck that triggered the first of two green-white-checkers restart. On the first restart the middle of the pack got all wadded up just as the pack was heavy on the gas and accelerating up through the gears as they were approaching the start/finish line. Pieces and parts were flying everywhere! That constituted a second attempt at the green-white-checkers restart, after the cleanup was finished.
That restart was much better. However, the racing intensity was ratcheting up rapidly, as the green flew once again! All was well with the angry swarming hive of bees, better known as the pack of race cars, until the cars came out of turn #4 heading down the short shoot that leads to the tri-oval and the the checkered flag. The second round and final bound of carnage was about to begin!
As David Ragan took the checkered flag for the win, the cars mid-pack began beating and banging on each other, trying to get all that they could get, and the sheet metal began crumpling! The cars began slipping and sliding away. careening in all different directions, in the grass, up into the outside retaining wall, as well as into each other! The carnage was unraveling right in front of the start/finish line!
So it would appear the boys back at the race shops have a lot of work on their hands this week, mending the crumpled pile so sheet metal that some of their race cars became. I guess that could be thought of as job security for the fabrication shop!
What are your views on David Ragan possibly make a bid at the Chase with this victory? Did this victory give Ragan a little job security with RFR? We will see if either of the seat manufacturers show up at RFR with new seats for the #6 UPS Ford anytime soon?
See the unofficial results of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
