Through the Eyes of a Ragan Fan: Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway

David Ragan celebrates with his crew after winning the
Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway
on July 2, 2011. (Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Any David Ragan fan can tell you that Daytona International Speedway has always been one of his best tracks. Knowing how well he runs there, I was beyond excited for the 2011 season to begin. I knew that Ragan would get his first Cup Series win in 2011, and I had the feeling that it would come in the Daytona 500.

February 20, 2011 is a day that will forever be burned into my memory. With just two laps left, Ragan was penalized for changing lanes on the previous restart while leading the race. That penalty cost him the potential win and left me completely brokenhearted. To see him come that close to winning and have it all taken away in a matter of seconds was one of the worst feelings I have ever had as a NASCAR fan.

I had many sleepless nights after that, and I can only imagine how hard it was on Ragan. Somehow though, I knew deep down that when the Cup Series returned to Daytona in July, things would work out the way I felt they should have in February.

When I was in Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend for the Coca Cola 600, I had the chance to speak with Ragan’s mother Beverly. I told her, “I believe David will get his first win at a night race. If it doesn’t happen tonight, it’ll happen at Daytona in July.” I refused to believe otherwise, never giving up hope that I would be proven right.

As I sat in my aunt’s living room on Saturday night, anxiously awaiting the start of the race, I turned to her and said “David’s going to win tonight.” I don’t think she believed me at first.

The race began, and immediately, Ragan paired up with teammate Matt Kenseth. To me, seeing those two work together was a testament to the trust and respect that Ragan had gained from Kenseth because it wasn’t too long ago that Kenseth was comfortable even being near Ragan during a race, no matter which track it was. (In 2008, the two of them had many run-ins. None were ever intentional. Just a result of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.)

Anyone who knows me knows that Ragan is my favorite driver and Kenseth is my second favorite driver. Watching those two work together made me so proud to be a fan of both of them. The funny part is I realized immediately that the duo was faster if Ragan was out front. They could make up ground quicker with Kenseth pushing, but as the laps wound down, a decision was made that Ragan would push Kenseth to the end.

That right there left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It just couldn’t happen that way. And it didn’t. A late caution caught the duo before a switch could be made, and Ragan was ahead of Kenseth. It was then that Kenseth made the call that he would push his teammate to the end. It took two green-white-checkered attempts for them to take the checkered flag. It was the second one that really sealed the deal for them. Since Ragan was the leader, he was told by Kenseth to choose the inside line so they would be lined up for the restart. Kenseth told Ragan “You’re one of the best in the business [at Daytona]” before the race resumed and that he was with him to the end. The green flag waved and for a second, it looked as though they might not be the two drivers out front as they lost a little ground. Withing a few seconds, they powered their way back to the front, with a fast-approaching tandem of Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano right behind them.

David Ragan crosses the start/finish line ahead of teammate
Matt Kenseth to win the Coke Zero 400. (Mike Erhmann/Getty Images)

However, there was no stopping Kenseth and Ragan. The race ended with the younger Roush Fenway Racing driver taking the checkered flag to earn his first Sprint Cup Series win. He had found the redemption he had so desperately needed at Daytona.

Now, here’s where those of you reading this will start to laugh… On the final restart, I closed my eyes and covered my face after they made it to turn one. My nerves couldn’t take it, and I was so afraid that something would go wrong. When my aunt yelled at me, “Ragan’s going to win!” I looked at the television once more as they came off turn four. There are no words to describe the pure joy, the excitement, and the relief I felt as I watched Ragan cross the finish line first.

I had said for months that the perfect race would be for Ragan to win and Kenseth finish second. On Saturday, the perfect race happened. Only, I never imagined that Kenseth would be the reason Ragan earned his first Cup Series victory.

Now Ragan is currently a wild card for the 2011 Chase due to that win. Sure, anything can happen and he might not make the Chase, but just knowing the team has that chance is a wonderful feeling. Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has said that the team's main goals for the summer were to win a race and try to earn a spot in the Chase. Ragan is also locked into the 2012 All-Star Race. While there are many questions about sponsorship for the team for next season, one thing is for certain: Ragan can hold his head high, knowing that he has finally proven to so many others what I’ve known all along…. He has the talent to run with the best in NASCAR. After all, it was a former Cup Series champion who pushed him to the win on Saturday.

Congratulations to David Ragan and the No. 6 team on their victory at Daytona! And many thanks to Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 team who worked so hard to help Ragan out! Without them, the outcome could've been a lot different!