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Ragan Claims Top-20 Finish at Texas |
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Fort Worth, Texas (November 3, 2007)
David Ragan and the No. 6 Discount Tire team had an uneventful
day at Texas Motor Speedway. The young team had a good car but
an average finish in the O'Reilly 300 on Saturday afternoon.
Ragan had a great qualifying run on Friday, starting in the
eighth position, but a tight race car left Ragan and the team
in the middle of the pack for most of the day. |
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Ragan and the No. 6 Discount Tire team wanted to be aggressive
from the outset of the race. It was clear the team was hungry
for a win and wanted to stay up front all day long. Ragan was
instructed by crew chief Mike Kelley to take care of his race
car and hit his marks early on. The race started dramatically
with two cautions in the first 20 laps and all that drama carried
over to the Discount Tire team early in the race as well. On lap
four, Ragan commented the car was tight before getting into the
throttle and he had to run the top groove of the race track to
keep his momentum. The handling problem was evident as the Discount
Tire Ford Fusion lost six positions the first 21 laps. A caution
flew on lap 20 for a wreck on the back stretch and a much needed
pit stop was on the horizon. |
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Ragan and the team made their first pit stop under caution on lap
22. Crew chief Mike Kelley ordered four tires, fuel, an air pressure
adjustment and a wedge adjustment in the right rear. Ragan exited
the pit stall in 18th position. Green-flag racing resumed on lap 27. |
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On lap 65, Ragan commented his Ford Fusion was aero-tight. Ragan still
managed to gain two positions over the next 10 laps. It was clear that
Ragan was frustrated with the ill-handling race car, but he worked hard
to stay within striking defense of the race leaders. The race had a 100
lap green-flag run that hurt the Discount Tire team. On lap 88, Ragan
was ordered to the pits for a scheduled green-flag stop. Kelley called
for fuel, four tires and an air pressure adjustment. Ragan exited the
pit stall in the 16th position. |
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The race became a test of patience and perseverance. Ragan stayed in
the top 20 for much of the race, but was one lap down by lap 130.
During the latter part of the race, Ragan said the Ford Fusion was
handling nicely. It was evident the Discount Tire team had run out
of laps to challenge for a win. |
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At the end of the day, it was a steady performance by the young team. |
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"This was a frustrating afternoon for all of us," said Ragan. "We had
some handling problems early, but I felt the team did a great job
getting our Ford Fusion just right by the second half of the race.
Unfortunately, it was too late to make a move towards the front of
the pack. It was a solid run today and we brought our car home with
no damage. We will just move on and get ready for Phoenix." |
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The 16th-place finish leaves Ragan fifth in the Busch Series point
standings. Ragan and the team will return to action next Saturday,
November 10th 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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