David Ragan Overjoyed By Finally Beating Old Nemesis Jimmie Johnson As LMC’s Daytona 500 Woes Worsen

For David Ragan, the first night of qualifying for the 66th running of the Daytona 500 was special. The veteran race car driver, who will be driving the #60 RFK Racing car, became one of the two open entries that secured qualification to The Great American Race. In the post-qualifying press conference, the 38-year-old seemed a proud man as he realized that he had run faster than 7-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

The Legacy Motor Club co-owner will have to try his luck in the Bluegreen Duels against several talented drivers, some of whom he has extensively raced against as well. It will be a shame if Johnson doesn’t make it to the Daytona 500 as he is one of the star attractions of the weekend. As for Ragan, he is currently on cloud nine.

David Ragan hails RFK Racing as he celebrates the “small victories”

David Ragan thought that he would have the fastest qualifying time out of all the open entries, but was surprised when Anthony Alfredo beat his time. He expressed that in the post-event press conference before congratulating the Xfinity Series driver and his team for a job well done. The 38-year-old also talked about beating Jimmie Johnson as the smile on his face got wider and wider.

Ragan is driving the #60 RFK Racing car this season and the Daytona 500 will be the first of many races that he will run this year in the NASCAR Cup Series. His start to the new season has been a positive one, and he hailed the #60 team for making a fantastic effort to bring a car that’s so quick.

“I didn’t have a chance to beat Jimmie Johnson too often in my career when he and I were running week in and week out. So I’ll take the small victories when I can and yeah, that just shows you how close the competition is. All these teams work really hard on all the details and every 10th and half of a 10th means something. So to be able to get locked in on pole night is really special. We’ve still got a lot of work in front of us to have some speed, and go contend for a win but couldn’t be more proud of the RFK team for the effort so far,” the 38-year-old said.

Jimmie Johnson, however, was visibly disappointed with how things turned out for him. The seven-time Cup Series champion believed that there would be some improvement in Legacy Motor Club after they switched from Chevy to Toyota, but the woes seem to continue.

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Johnson did not make it into the Daytona 500 in the first qualifying session, and judging from his reaction, he expected to make it through. He kept a positive outlook on the upcoming Bluegreen Duels for qualifying for the race. The 7-time Cup Series champion also mentioned that he prepared for a scenario like this and his racing skills will be tested if he wants to start the race on Sunday.

“I had higher expectations for sure. We are lumped right there with the other Toyotas. The #43 car got a little bit more out of it so I wish we had a bit more out of ours but it is what it is and we’ll have a race car tomorrow night and try to make the 500,” the driver of the #84 said.

“I’ve never been in this position so I don’t know. I came here mentally prepared to race my way in if that was required so I’m well-studied and spent a lot of time working on the environment…and just get out and race hard and see it unfolds. Much more nervous now. I thought we were going to be in a better position than this, but it is what it is and we’ll go to work,” Johnson added.

It will certainly be intriguing to see the seven-time Cup Series champion battle his way through the pack to make it to the Daytona 500. The Great American Race holds an important place in the NASCAR legend’s mind and he will do whatever he can to get the job done in the Duels.

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