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.

Much More Than 'Just A Race'

To those in the NASCAR community, the month of January may seem to stretch out to the edge of forever despite the action it is leading up to. Teams are busy getting back into the swing of things as they prepare for Speed Weeks in Daytona and the start of a new season. Drivers look to improve from the previous season, and keep up with all of the new rule changes. Team owners scramble to find sponsorship for the drivers who need it. Drivers who were released the season before work hard to prove they can earn a spot on a team.

The anticipation for the beginning of a new NASCAR season can be felt across not only the United States, but also over many foreign countries where fans anxiously await the drop of the green flag at the Great American Race—the Daytona 500—to officially start the season. Fans from all walks of life will set in front of a television and those lucky enough to watch from the stands gear up for what is sure to be a wild race.

A Look Back at 2011

Halfway through January, and I've decided to start a new blog. I had one before, but that one focused primarily on my love of NASCAR. I will more than likely have posts about the sport in this blog, but this one isn't specifically for any particular subject.

With that said, I thought it would be fun to give everyone a look at how 2011 was for me. I have to admit that, despite a few hang ups, it was one of the best years of my life!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

                Most of what I did for the first time in 2011 is NASCAR-related. I have always wanted to a track other than Bristol Motor Speedway, and I was fortunate enough to go to Nashville Superspeedway in April for the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series race. I also attended the Coca Cola 600 in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Bank of America 500 in October as well.

                One of the things I’ve always wanted to do is ride with a driver (It didn’t matter who) around any track. In July, I met Austin Dillon at Bristol while he was there promoting the Truck Series race that would be run at the track in August. The fans who came to the track that day were able to ride with Austin for about 15 laps in a Chevrolet Silverado. Granted, it wasn’t the actual racetruck, but what did I care? I got to ride with a driver, now a Truck Series champion, around the World’s Fastest Half-Mile!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?

                I never make new year’s resolutions. I just look at every new year as a chance to improve from the year before.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My uncle Hobie’s girlfriend Christy gave birth to their son Everett in June, just one day before my birthday!

As Race Fans, We Take So Much For Granted

No matter what racing series they are in, each and every driver takes the greatest of risks when they strap themselves into their car on race day. Their family and loved ones watch, anxious, that they don’t pay the ultimate price in such a hazardous profession. The second the green flag waves leaves room for anything to go wrong. All it takes is the simplest of errors to cause a tragedy. Many racers across many series have lost their lives doing what they love the most. Last Sunday, the IZOD IndyCar Series lost one of its biggest stars, two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon.

The loss is one that hit home for so many people. In fact, it hit home for more than just the IndyCar community. The entire racing community was stunned by his tragic passing. On Sunday, nobody watched the IndyCar drivers get into their cars knowing that it would be the last race Dan Wheldon would run. Nobody even expected that such a horrific incident would occur. A day that was supposed to end in triumph with a champion being crowned turned into a day that left the racing community trying to comprehend how a life could be cut short so unexpectedly.

No, I’m not about to start talking about changes that could be made to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. And I’m not going to point fingers or go over hypothetical what-if scenarios.

Instead, I want to talk about how what happened Sunday should open our eyes as fans of such a dangerous sport.

Austin Dillon Visits Bristol, Gives Some Lucky Fans a Ride Around the Track

Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon, who pilots the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado in the Camping World Truck Series, came to Bristol Motor Speedway to help promote special ticket package that is available at the track for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 200/UNOH Perfect Storm 150 double header to be held on August 24, 2011. The $33 package includes a ticket to the Wednesday races, a No. 3 Bass Pro Shops hat, and an exclusive Q & A session with Dillon in Bristol's Hospitality Village prior to the race.

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.

Heroes and Heartbreak: Choosing A Favorite Driver Hasn't Been Easy

The No. 6 UPS Ford of David Ragan and the No. 17 Ford of Matt Kenseth
on pit road prior to Coca Cola 600 qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In any sport, every fan almost always finds a team to cheer for above all others. It’s no different in NASCAR. Some fans choose a favorite driver simply because his car has their favorite number on the side. Others choose a driver based on their sponsor. A few choose their favorite driver because he is from the same state they are from. For me, it was none of the above.

 

As a kid, I spent many weekends at my grandparents’ house. They had a television, but it did well to pick up the local TV stations. Luckily, it did pick up the local FOX and ABC affiliates, which meant most Sundays and the occasional Saturday were spent sitting in the living room of my grandparents’ trailer watching NASCAR races. That was in the late 90’s.

 

In 1999, just before my 9th birthday that June, I became a Dale Earnhardt fan simply because he was my grandfather Frank’s favorite driver. I cheered for Earnhardt every race I watched. Then, in 2001, the entire community was rocked to the core as Dale Earnhardt tragically passed away in the Daytona 500. NASCAR lost a legend, and I lost my favorite driver. My grandfather stopped watching NASCAR after that fateful day, and so did I.

 

For over a year, I didn’t watch a single race. Then, in October 2002, something compelled me to turn the race on. I honestly don’t remember much about the race other than it was at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Jamie McMurray was filling in for Sterling Marlin. McMurray earned his first career win that night and surprised a lot of people. The excitement I felt that night watching McMurray win made me realize something about myself. NASCAR was my passion. And I had truly missed watching the races.

Now that I was a NASCAR fan again I was left with the problem of finding a new favorite driver. Of course, like so many of Dale Earnhardt’s fans, I chose his son as my favorite driver. Again, I was just twelve, and I really didn’t know too many other drivers so I went with who I knew.

So, how did I go from being a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan to becoming a die-hard fan of all of the Roush Fenway Racing drivers? It’s kind of a funny and unique story.