Meet David Ragan: RFK Racing Star & NASCAR’s EV Debut Driver

Superspeedways are tough to navigate. The long, high-speed tracks have often caused issues for several NASCAR racers over the years, even the ones who are seasoned veterans. Few people have ever mastered the art of racing at a superspeedway, and one of the most unlikely drivers who understood that assignment is David Ragan.

The 38-year-old may not have tasted a lot of success in NASCAR, but whenever he races on a superspeedway, things just seem to click.

Who is David Ragan?

Born on December 24, 1985, David Ragan is a second-generation race car driver. He is the son of former Cup Series racer Ken Ragan. David began his career in motorsports at the age of 12 when he raced karts. The 38-year-old won the National Championship twice before making the switch to Late Models in 2002 in the Legends Pro-Division for Mark Martin. In 2003, Ragan forayed into NASCAR with the ARCA Series. The following year, he made his debut in the Truck and Xfinity Series. His entry into the Cup Series came in 2006 in a part-time role with Roush Racing (full time in Xfinity Series). He might not have won a lot of races in NASCAR, but some of his race wins were memorable.

David Ragan’s NASCAR Achievements

His first taste of success in stock car racing came in ARCA with Day Enterprise Racing when he won the 2005 William Bros 200. In the Truck Series, Ragan did not taste any success as he failed to win a race there, but he did find himself on victory lane in the other two NASCAR competitions. The 38-year-old’s first major win in NASCAR came in the 2009 Xfinity Series when he won at Talladega with Roush Fenway Racing. In the same season, he finished P1 in Bristol.

It took a while before David Ragan won a race in the Cup Series, but it was at one of the most iconic racing venues anywhere in the world. He won the 2011 Coke Zero 400 at the Daytona International Speedway. Unfortunately, his lack of success overall until that point meant that it would be his last season for Roush Fenway Racing.

Ragan then signed as a full-time driver for Front Row Motorsports and earned his second Cup Series victory. This time, it was the 2013 Aaron’s 199 at the Talladega Superspeedway. The pattern here is quite obvious. The 38-year-old was very comfortable on superspeedways. Half of his 16 top-5 Cup finishes came at superspeedways, more specifically, Daytona and Talladega. Ragan will be running a part-time Cup season in 2024 with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, starting with the Daytona 500.

David Ragan: Part-Time Driver of RFK Racing’s #60 Ford Mustang

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Ragan will be returning to his former team, but racing is not the only thing he will be doing. David Ragan will be the first driver to be in RFK Racing’s #Stage60 program. He will be taking part in several races this season and it will be important for him to perform well in the #60 car. That number holds a lot of value for team owner Jack Roush as it won 94 Xfinity races and the 2002 championship.

RFK had plans of introducing a third Cup car for a long time and finally, that dream is becoming a reality. The team’s president, Steve Newmark had said earlier that #Stage60 represented an opportunity to pay respect to the history and look to the future. “The 60 car represents an opportunity for us to honor our past and look forward to the future of RFK Racing,” he said, as per ESPN.

Speaking about his return to a Jack Roush-owned team, Ragan said, “It’s really exciting to be back in an RFK Ford. I spent some of the best years of my career driving for Mr. Jack and the team at RFK. They really gave me my first opportunity in the sport.” 

Apart from racing, the 38-year-old will have a big responsibility at the Clash in Los Angeles.

NASCAR to unveil its Electric Car at LA Coliseum

As the world looks to find more sustainable forms of power, NASCAR is all set to run its first electric car at Clash at the Coliseum. The decision was met with both praise and criticism, as expected. The car was extensively tested at the Martinsville Speedway for three days and at the zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. At Martinsville, Ragan ran 340 laps in the car, so it’s safe to say that he will be quite comfortable with it.

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However, NASCAR is also reportedly keen on hydrogen-powered cars and one of the reasons could be the sound. They have been taking notes from Toyota who have been running hydrogen-powered cars in races since 2021. But, the model for that has not been revealed yet and fans will have to contend with the EV.

David Ragan to Debut NASCAR’s EV

Given that he has tested NASCAR’s EV more than anyone else, it is only fair that David Ragan will be debuting it in the Clash at The Coliseum event in February. The car will not be taking part in the race, though. As per Jeff Gluck, “NASCAR will do a demo run of its electric vehicle (a compact utility vehicle) during the Clash race day next week. Not planning to race it or start a series at this time. It’s not of a particular make, just a generic NASCAR body. The EV has lights. David Ragan will drive.”

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If it is indeed the future of the competition, the 38-year-old would be one of the first people to test out the first version of the NASCAR EV, which must be quite attention-grabbing for him.