SONOMA, Calif. (June 20, 2010) – It seemed as if anything that could go wrong, did go wrong for David Ragan and his team at the 1.99-mile Infineon Raceway. Ragan came out to the track last week to test hoping the extra laps would help, and they certainly did. Ragan was fast in practice and had a pole-worthy qualifying effort going until he got loose on turn eight and wrecked his primary car. Ragan took the green flag in a backup car that practiced well on Saturday, but right from the start he noticed a “sputter” in his electrical systems. During the race it was a battle for track position, just when he got towards the front he was spun out and sent back to the tail end of the field. Ragan ultimately had to settle for a 25^th-place finish with his UPS Ford, while Jimmie Johnson won the race.

 

Ragan kicked off the weekend being one of the fastest Fords in practice on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, when it came time to qualify he got too loose in turn eight and spun out on the track. Damage from contact with the tire barrier resulted in the team having to pull out their backup UPS Ford. Fortunately for them, their backup was just as good as their primary car and there were still two practice sessions on Saturday to get it dialed in for the race. The bad part was that they were left with a 42^nd-place starting position at a road course where track position is crucial.

 

From the drop of the green flag, Ragan picked up a few spots on the track, but reported to crew chief Donnie Wingo that he was noticing a “miss” in his Ford. The first caution came just ten laps in and Ragan told Wingo he needed more overall grip. Wingo called him down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. 

 

Over the next long green flag run the “miss” continued and so did the lack of forward bite. Ragan pitted for more adjustments on lap 36 and the second caution of the day came out on lap 57. Despite the handling issues, Wingo opted not to pit and to gain track position instead. The move resulted in Ragan starting sixth for the restart on lap 61. One short lap later the No. 24 and No. 83 made contact and collected Ragan and the UPS Ford. No damage resulted from the spin, just a loss of track position. 

 

While running 31^st the caution came out on lap 64. With nothing to lose, Ragan pitted for four tires, fuel, along with an air pressure adjustment. The team also used the stop as a chance to lift the hood and make sure everything was connected tightly in an effort to resolve the “miss” Ragan kept enduring. On the stop the rear tire of the No. 56 got out of that team’s pit stall and tripped up Ragan’s jackman. The jackman fell in front of the UPS Ford, forcing Ragan to slam on the brakes. Luckily, he wasn’t injured and was able to jump back up and complete the stop. 

 

The field jumbled up on the restart, causing some damage to the right-rear of the UPS Ford. The field was red flagged to clean up the debris. Once pit road was open Ragan came in for four tires, fuel and to get the damage repaired. From there on Ragan did the best he could with a slightly damaged Ford and an engine that sputtered constantly around the track. Despite all the hardships he was able to bring the UPS Ford home in 25^th, while Jimmie Johnson won the race.