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Ragan Caps Off Career-Best Weekend With Top Five Finish At Texas |
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Fort Worth, Texas (April 14, 2007)
David Ragan and the No. 6 Discount Tire team
made a major statement this weekend at Texas
Motor Speedway. The young team has officially arrived
and looks to be a force in the NASCAR Busch Series for a very
long time. Ragan captured his first Busch pole on Thursday,
qualifying two miles per hour faster than the closest
competitor. Ragan carried that momentum over to Saturday
where he recorded a fifth-place finish in the O'Reilly 300,
his first top-five finish in a Busch race. |
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It was a chilly day at Texas Motor Speedway. The temperature
at the start of the race was only 48 degrees. The Discount
Tire team was riding high after a great weekend of qualifying
and practice, and a breakthrough victory was on everybody's
mind at the outset of the race. |
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It appeared as if the No. 6 Discount Tire team wanted
to be patient the first few laps. Ragan was instructed
by crew chief Mike Kelley to take care of his race car
and run consistent laps early. The race started with
little drama as 48 of the first 51 laps were run under
green. But the drama started early for the Discount Tire
team. On lap 36 Ragan commented the car had no grip up
off and was sliding in the center. This handling problem
was evident as the Discount Tire Ford Fusion lost 13
positions the first 36 laps. A caution flew on lap 52
for debris on the back stretch and a much needed pit
stop was on the horizon. |
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The No. 6 Discount Tire team made their first pit stop
under caution on lap 56. Crew chief Mike Kelley ordered
four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments in the right
rear, left front and right front. Ragan had moved to the
14th position after the stop and when green-flag racing
resumed the Discount Tire Ford Fusion was making up ground
on the leaders very fast. |
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On lap 67 a four-car wreck brought the drama to a halt.
While under caution most teams pitted on lap 73 but Ragan
stayed out. The decision proved to be an excellent call as
the Ford Fusion didn't need any other adjustments at the time.
When green-flag racing resumed on lap 76 Ragan was in the 11th
position. By lap 122 he had moved to fifth. The Discount Tire
Ford moved through each turn effortlessly and it appeared a late
charge was inevitable. |
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The caution flew again on lap 124 and it could not have come at
a better time. Ragan had moved all the way to the second position
entering the pits. This time Kelley ordered four tires, fuel and
an air pressure adjustment in the left rear. Ragan left the pit
in third position, a great place to be with 76 laps to go. The
race resumed on lap 128 and for the next 32 laps Ragan battled
the best stock car drivers in the world, two of them being his
teammates, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. The trio, along with
the No. 24 and No. 20 cars, were running away from the field,
but a late caution on lap 160 slowed that momentum. The No. 6
Discount Tire Ford Fusion made a final pit stop on lap 162,
getting fuel, four tires and another air pressure adjustment
in the left rear. When racing resumed on lap 165 the Roush
Fenway racing teammates resumed their dominance. Two more cautions
flew before the end of the race, allowing others in the field to stay
close. Ragan had secured the fifth position by lap 169 and would not
relinquish it for the rest of the day. It was a much needed top-five
finish for the Discount Tire team. |
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"This is probably our best run as a team," said Ragan. "You always
want to run a little better than you did, but what a great rebound
from last week. The Discount Tire Ford Fusion team worked extremely
hard in getting the car prepared. It was a fun race. Matt Kenseth
is an unbelievable driver. He showed us what it's all about today.
It was a good run for everyone at Roush Fenway Racing, you know,
a solid points day." |
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The fifth-place finish leaves Ragan 10th in the Busch Series point
standings. Ragan and the team will return to action next Friday,
April 20th at Phoenix International Raceway. |
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About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating 13 motorsports teams,
five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle,
Carl Edwards and David Ragan; five in the Busch Series with Kenseth, Biffle,
Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Todd Kluever, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Danny O'Quinn Jr.;
and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Edwards, Peter Shepherd, Travis Kvapil
and Erik Darnell. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto
www.RoushFenway.com.
For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645. |
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