One of the remaining questions in NASCAR’s Silly Season was what was going to happen to David Ragan and car #6. That question was quieted a bit when Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith said he expected both Ragan and UPS to be part of the #6 car in 2011.
UPS has a signed deal with Roush Fenway for 2011 and Ragan has driver options himself. Economic concerns and a lack of competitive options likely have played a factor in the decision.
Of the available drivers following the conclusion of the 2010 season none figured to be options to join Roush Fenway. Kevin Harvick’s past experiences with both Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards would have created an uneasy marriage while Kasey Kahne never really fit into the Ford family of drivers. Brining back Kurt Busch never seemed to be an option and with little success coming from the organizations Nationwide teams there simply were not any pieces to move around.
In his fourth full season,Ragan has just one top 10 this season and recorded just two last season. His best season came in 2008 when he notched six top-fives and 14 top-tens just missing out on making the chase.
Perhaps one of the more disturbing stats about Ragan is that in 123 career starts he has just 20 top-tens and has led just 44 laps. Ragan is just 25 years of age though and last season he won two Nationwide races and picked up 15 top-10’s in 19 starts in the series. In 2008 he had 21 top-tens in 35 Nationwide races.
