Cheers for the Underdog: David Ragan

David Ragan and his team prepare for Coca Cola 600 qualifying
at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2012.

In 2006, a young driver made his first Sprint Cup Series start at Dover International Speedway for Roush Fenway Racing and just 46 laps in, he was done for the day after being involved in a crash. A few weeks later, he traveled to Martinsville Speedway with a plan of just turning laps and finishing the race to gain experience. But that would be easier said than done. He caused a lot of crashes that race and angered many drivers, including Ken Schrader. Despite it all, he managed to finish 25^th that day at Martinsville. He even finished on the lead lap after getting the free pass not once, but three times throughout the race.

His next Cup Series race in 2006 was supposed to be the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but NASCAR saw to it that he would not run that race after causing so much trouble at Martinsville.

But that never deterred David Ragan from trying to earn his place among NASCAR’s elite in the Sprint Cup Series. Nor did it stop me from becoming a fan of him.

It was actually the race at Martinsville Speedway that caused me to become a fan of Ragan. Even after all the trouble he had somehow found himself in, he owned up to his mistakes and wanted to learn from them. That perseverance in the face of so much scrutiny is what drew me in. You just don't see that in many young drivers when they first start.

Ragan still traveled to Atlanta Motor Speedway the following weekend because he was scheduled to run the Truck Series race. His disastrous Martinsville weekend still loomed over him though. Tony Stewart had called Ragan a “dart without feathers” after that race, and the media wouldn't let it go. Did Ragan take offense to it? Maybe. But he did something in response to it that truly speaks for the kind of person he is.

There was an auction for a ride-along with Tony Stewart at Atlanta that weekend. Who placed the highest bid? Ragan did with a bid of over $5,000. Why did he do it? So he could talk to a Cup Series champion and learn from him.

I suspect many fans wondered how Ragan had even landed a Cup ride after two less than stellar performances in 2006. Many more probably wondered why Jack Roush chose him to drive the No. 6 Ford in 2007 when Mark Martin left Roush Fenway Racing. I have to say I was skeptical of that move. I always felt he was rushed into the Cup Series too soon instead of being given time to learn the ropes in the Nationwide Series first. He definitely struggled, but he fought hard to earn his place. In his five-season (2007-2011) stint with Roush Fenway, he won Rookie of the Year in 2007 in the Nationwide Series, collected two Nationwide Series wins in 2009--one at Talladega Superspeedway in April and the other at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. And after years of trying, he finally got that elusive first career win in the Cup Series in July 2011 when he won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

A display of Ragan's 2011 achievements at Roush
Fenway Racing headquarters. (October 2011)

That win was a triumph in more ways than one. Ragan had jumped a restart late in the Daytona 500 in February, and it cost him his shot at becoming a Daytona 500 champion. When NASCAR retuned to Daytona last July, I knew in my heart that Ragan would find redemption.

Until the night Ragan got that first Cup Series win, the finish of a race had never reduced me to tears. But those were happy tears, mind you. Finally, Ragan had proved to everyone he was capable of winning at NASCAR’s top level. Not that I was surprised. I had known all along he could win in the Cup Series, but I had really thought it would happen sooner than it did.

As the end of the 2011 season drew near, I had a feeling that Ragan could potentially lose his ride at Roush Fenway Racing since his sponsorship with UPS would be up. When two high-profile, fully-sponsored rides opened up when Ragan left Roush, I had faith he would be hired to drive one of them. Sadly, that wasn't the case. The No. 22 Dodge at Penske Racing went to AJ Allmendinger while the No. 43 Ford at Richard Petty Motorsports went to Aric Almirola.

It was disheartening that Ragan didn't get either of those. I had thought he would, and even many of the media thought he would. That is just a sign of how unpredictable things can get in the sport.

The off season was a long one for both Ragan and his fans. As the 2012 season drew nearer, there was still no word on whether he would be racing at all. By January, I was losing hope that he would find a full-time ride. There were a few days when I thought the 2012 season would start without my favorite driver. It was one of the worst feelings I've ever had. If Ragan didn't get a ride, I would have no reason to really watch the Cup Series races anymore.


Finally, in mid-January, an announcement came from Front Row Motorsports that Ragan would race for them and drive the No. 34 Ford. It may have been a step down for Ragan as far as equipment goes, but don’t let that fool you. He took that ride with his head held high and had one main goal in mind: to close out the 2012 season inside the top-25 in points.

The move to the small, money-strapped organization caused some of his fans to jump ship. Those that have remained loyal continue to show their support in numerous ways from making their own t-shirts to posting on his Facebook fan page wall before and after every race to tell him how proud they are of him.

What is it exactly that has drawn such loyal fans to a driver who seems to be overlooked week after week? Personally, I say it is his southern charm and the true class he shows both on and off the racetrack. He is probably one of the most down-to-earth and genuine guys in the garage. And as the old saying goes, the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Ragan’s parents and his older brother Adam are some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I met them for the first time in March 2011 at Bristol Motor Speedway the morning of the Jeff Byrd 500. I spent close to twenty minutes talking with Ragan’s mother Beverly. I briefly talked with his father Ken, a former NASCAR driver who ran a total of 50 Cup Series races between 1983 and 1990. But it was his brother Adam who really made the biggest impact with me.

Adam, who has Down Syndrome, is without a doubt Ragan’s biggest fan. I remember that first time I met him at Bristol, he asked me “Do you think David will win today?” I told him “No. I don’t think he will win. I know he will.” Obviously, Ragan did not win that day despite the fact Adam and I both had been confident he would have a shot to do so.

In May 2011, I was fortunate enough to meet Ragan’s family again before the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I spoke with Adam again, and I was surprised he remembered me from Bristol. I only know that because he told me “You said David would win the last time I saw you.” I said “I sure did. And I’ll say it again… he’ll win tonight.” Adam replied “I think so too.” before he hugged me and walked off with his mother.

During the times I met Adam, I've asked him who he thought would win the race that day. I knew before he even replied what his answer would be. His answer was “My brother.” And it always will be.

It’s that kind of faith that also drives many of Ragan’s fans to not give up hope now that he is with Front Row Motorsports. Sure, the fact he is with an underfunded team has changed the mindset of many of his fans. I know my own mindset has changed. I no longer look at every race and think, “David can win today.” It’s the sad truth now that he is with a team that works with a budget that is half that of top-tier teams, such as his former team Roush Fenway Racing.

To me though, none of that matters. What matters the most to me is that he is with a team where he is actually appreciated. I always felt like he never got the respect or recognition he deserved while he was at Roush Fenway Racing. Comments by Jack Roush last November only backed up what I thought. Roush called Ragan a “frustration and a disappointment” in an interview after Ragan had left the organization. The day I read that in an article on NASCAR.com, I was outraged. I have been a fan of Ragan long enough to know he is many things, but he most certainly is not a frustration nor is he a disappointment. At least, not in my eyes. He is a driver capable of winning races, a driver who will always be the reason I watch NASCAR races.

Earlier this year at Bristol, I asked David Gilliland what it was like having Ragan as his teammate this season. Gilliland had nothing but praise for Ragan, even saying that he saw Ragan as an asset to the team and that he was someone he could go to for advice if he needed it. Needless to say, it only made me happier that Ragan was no longer with Roush Fenway Racing. He is finally with a team where he is treated as an equal.

Sure, it would be nice if Ragan was still with a team where he could possibly add more to his win column. The reality of the situation now is the fact the restrictor-plate races at Talladega and Daytona are probably the only true chances he will have to get a win this season. He may have started the season off by finishing 43rd in the Daytona 500, but he finished 7th at Talladega in May. Restrictor-plate races are viewed by many as a "crap shoot", but to me those races provide the best opportunities for Ragan to truly shine.

Today, Ragan will start the race under a title he has never had before heading into a Cup Series race—defending race winner. It might have taken him five seasons to finally earn that first win, but I don’t think it will be his last. Will he get win #2 tonight? Anything is possible at Daytona. But for Ragan, a win with Front Row Motorsports could be even sweeter than the one he earned just one year ago with one of NASCAR’s top teams.


And maybe one of these days, I will be able to stop referring to him as an underdog. If that day never comes, well... Ragan will be an underdog that I will always cheer for.